"Drogba"

by Gena Milanesi

Print Size 11 x 14 in

Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Ivory Coast national football team. He has scored more goals for Chelsea than any other foreign player and is currently Chelsea's 7th highest goal scorer of all time.

After playing in youth teams, Drogba made his professional debut aged 18 for Ligue 2 club Le Mans. A late bloomer, he signed his first professional contract aged 21 but it was not until the 2002-03 season that he realised his potential, scoring 17 goals in 34 appearances in Ligue 1 for Guingamp. During the same season he made his first international appearance for Ivory Coast in September and scored his first international goal the following February. He moved to Olympique de Marseille in 2003 for £3.3 million and his prolific ways continued, finishing as the third highest scorer in the league with 19 goals and making it to the 2004 UEFA Cup Final.

Drogba moved to Chelsea the following season for a record breaking fee of £24 million, making him the most expensive Ivory Coast player in history. In addition, Drogba scored decisive goals in the 2005 FA Community Shield and League Cup Final and helped the club win their first ever Premier League title. Drogba came to prominence as one of the world's foremost strikers in 2006 as he won the league title with Chelsea again and captained the national team for the first time. In the 2006 World Cup he scored Ivory Coast's first ever goal of the competition and he was chosen as the 2006 African Footballer of the Year. The next season he finished as top scorer in the 2006-07 Premier League with 20 goals and also scored the winning goals in the 2007 League Cup and FA Cup finals. He won the FA Cup for the second time in 2009, scoring the equalizer in the final. In the 2009-10 season Drogba proved instrumental in Chelseas winning of the first double in the club history. He won his second Golden Boot with 29 goals and scored the only goal in Chelseas victory over Portsmouth in the 2010 FA Cup final. This goal makes him the only player to score in 6 english cup finals.

Drogba is credited by many with playing a vital role in bringing peace to his country. After Ivory Coast qualified for the 2006 World Cup, Drogba made a desperate plea to the combatants, asking them to lay down their arms, a plea which was answered with a cease fire after 5 years of civil war. Drogba later helped move an African Cup of Nations qualifier to the rebel stronghold of Bouake a move which has been credited with affirming the peace process. His involvement in the peace process lead to Drogba being named as one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine.