Didier Drogba

Player Information

Full name: Didier Yves Drogba Tébily
Date of birth: March 11, 1978
Birthplace: Abidjan, Côte d' Ivoire
Nationality: Ivorian
2nd nationality: French
EU passport: Yes
Height: 188 cms
Weight: 74 kgs

Club: Chelsea
Position: Striker [C]
Squad Number: 11
Contract expires: June 2010
Previous clubs: Le Mans > Guingamp > (£4m) Marseille > (£24m) Chelsea

International debut: September 2002, v South Africa
International Caps: 47
International Goals: 31
World Cups: Germany 2006

Awards

English League Cup (2005, 2007)
English FA Premier League (2005, 2006)
English FA Community Shield (2005)
English FA Cup (2007)

French Ligue 1 Player of the Season (2004)
UEFA Cup Top Scorer (2004)
Ivorian Player of the Year (2006)
African Footballer of the Year (2006)
English Premier League Top Scorer (2007)

Biography

1978
Born March 11 in Abidjan.
1983
Arrives to France as a five-year-old.
1998
Starts career with second division Le Mans UC 72.
2002
January: Joins Guingamp.
September: Makes Ivorian national team debut in an African Cup of Nations qualifier 0-0 draw against South Africa in Abidjan.
2003
May: Finish third in the Ligue 1 scoring charts with 17 strikes in 34 matches.
June: Signs a five-year contract with Marseille for an undisclosed fee.
2004
May: Loses UEFA Cup final with Marseille; Crowned the French Player of the Year.
July: Joins Chelsea for a club-record fee of 37.5m euros.
2005
May: Wins double of Premier League and League Cup with Chelsea.
October: Helps his country to qualify for the first time to the World Cup finals.
2006
February: Helps Ivory Coast to reach the final of the African Cup of Nations. Defeated by Samuel Etoo in the African Player of the Year 2005 award after collecting 106 votes and the Cameroonian 108.
April: Helps Chelsea claim its second straight Premier League title.
September 27: Didier Drogba's first UCL hat-trick gave Chelsea a comfortable win against Levski Sofia and made it maximum points from their opening two Champions League games.
October 12: Included among the 30 nominees for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award.
October 17: Included among the 50 nominees for the European Footballer of the Year Award.
November 03: Didier Drogba has signed a new four-year contract that will keep him with Chelsea until 2010, the club said.
November 12: Drogba's superb form for Chelsea continued with a hat-trick in the Blues 4-0 defeat of Watford at Stamford Bridge.
2007
February 25: Scored twice as Chelsea came from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1 in an English League Cup final marred by a head injury to John Terry and an ugly late brawl that led to three red cards.
March 1: Named 2006 African Footballer of the Year, edging out Samuel Eto'o to deny him a record fourth successive award.
April 22: Included in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
May 1: Lost the Champions League semi-final with Chelsea against Liverpool on penalties 4-1 after drawing 1-1 on aggregate on a dramatic night at Anfield.
May 13: Secured the Premiership Golden Boot as his equaliser earned Chelsea a 1-1 draw against Everton, which extended Chelsea's unbeaten run in home league games to 63 - equalling the English top-flight record set by Liverpool.
May 19: Scored a goal late in extra time to secure a 1-0 victory for Chelsea over Manchester United in the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley.
October 5: Included in the FIFPro Team of the Year.
October 18: Drogba admitted he is determined to quit Chelsea because Jose Mourinho's departure has shattered morale at Stamford Bridge. "I want to leave Chelsea," he is quoted as saying in an issue of France Football magazine. "Something is broken with Chelsea. The damage has been big in the dressing room because we know now what happened and who caused Mourinho's departure. Nothing can stop me from leaving now."
2008
February: Represented Côte d' Ivoire in the Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Ghana. He was part of the team that finished in 4th place of the competition.
February 24: Member of the Chelsea squad that lost the Carling Cup Final in extra time against Tottenham.
April 30: Scored twice in the Chelsea's 3-2 UCL Semifinal defeat of Liverpool to put the blues on its first Champions League final ever.
May 21: Lost the UEFA Champions League final with Chelsea 6-5 on penalties against Man Utd at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. Drogba flounced through the match before suddenly coming to life and hitting a post. Then became only the second player to be sent off in the Champions League final after needlessly tapping Nemanja Vidic in extra-time.

FIFA World Cup™ Germany 2006 player's profile

Côte d’Ivoire’s footballing history can be divided into two distinct periods – before and after Didier Drogba. Granted, the country has known stars in the past such as Laurent Pokou, Youssouf Fofana, Joel Tiehi and Ibrahima Bakayoko, but none of them had such an influence on The Elephants’ and their footballing fortunes as their robust forward and current captain.
Perhaps Drogba has sporting blood running through his veins. Born in Yopougon, one of the poorer suburbs of the capital Abidjan, Drogba moved to France when he was only five years old, to join his uncle Michel Goba, himself a former international.

The lad was soon following in his uncle’s footsteps. In 1991, at the age of 13, he joined Breton club Vannes, trying his hand at various positions in the team and gradually realising he could perhaps make a living as a professional. His next move was up to join Levallois-Perret, on the outskirts of Paris. Despite his tender age, he was already an impressive physical specimen, and spent four years cutting his teeth in the suburbs, often putting in extra training to keep up with his team-mates who had all learned the tricks of the trade at specialised youth football centres.

In 1997, he signed professional terms with Le Mans in the French second division, and spent five up-and-down years with club. Often hampered by injuries, he only managed to score 12 goals in 64 matches, but this was enough to catch the eye of Guingamp, who had recently been promoted to the first division. Drogba found the net 17 times as he formed an explosive strike pairing with Florent Malouda.

This was enough to thrust Drogba into the spotlight, and the big names – PSG, Marseille, Lyon and Monaco – all came calling. Marseille were the lucky winners of the Drogba lottery, and while the critics presumed he would take a while to settle in at such a prestigious club, the forward soon set about proving them wrong. Drogba’s success on the south coast came almost too easily. The notoriously harsh fans at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome took him to their hearts, and he became a star of French and international proportions. Marseille reached the final of the UEFA Cup, and Drogba was voted France’s player of the season.

Chelsea swoop
A tally of 19 league goals and another 11 in Europe were more than enough to catch the eye of Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea. The Blues’ manager Jose Mourinho set about convincing Drogba to swap Marseille for London, and after one unbelievable season, he was off to join Chelsea for a staggering €32m.

His success for his country has mirrored his domestic career. He made his debut in 2003 under Robert Nouzaret against South Africa, and despite the fact he did not manage to open his account, it turned out to be Drogba’s first step towards becoming a legend in the eyes of the Ivorian fans.

Three years on, and the Chelsea forward finds himself captaining the national side. His positional awareness is matched only by his precision in front of goal, while he is capable of using his size to wear down defenders before finishing them off, with either foot or a powerful header.

Drogba was the second highest scorer in the African qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup GermanyTM with a total of nine goals, which has served only to heighten his already glowing reputation in his homeland. Songs and dances have been written in his honour, and there are drinks and other products bearing his likeness. They say that elephants never forget, but no ‘Elephant’ international in living memory has enjoyed such popularity. Imagine the reaction if Drogba were to lead his country to glory in Germany this summer.

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UEFA Champions League 2005-06 player's profile

Fresh from action at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals with Ivory Coast, the pacy, powerful and prolific Didier Drogba faces fierce competition from new signing Andriy Shevchenko for a place in Chelsea FC's starting XI in 2006/07.

Born in Abidjan in 1978, Drogba started his career with Ligue 2 side Le Mans UC 72, making his debut in 1998/99 before joining EA Guingamp in January 2002. The tall forward raised his game in the top flight in 2001/02 before properly establishing himself the following season, finishing third in the Ligue 1 scoring charts with 17 strikes in 34 matches and inspiring Guingamp to seventh place and qualification for the UEFA Intertoto Cup.

Drogba joined Olympique de Marseille in June 2003 and then scored against every team he faced in the UEFA Champions League proper and the UEFA Cup until the final loss against Valencia CF. A further 18 Ligue 1 goals led to him being crowned the French Player of the Year and made him the hottest property in Europe. He opted to join Chelsea, scoring ten league goals in his first season and 12 in his second as the London club won consecutive Premiership titles. He also captained his country to the 2006 African Cup of Nations final and at the World Cup finals the same year, scoring against Argentina.

Did you know?
Chelsea paid a club-record €37.5m fee to Marseille for Drogba, but broke that record by signing Shevchenko for €45m in the summer of 2006.

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