Didier Yves Drogba Tébily was born on March 11, 1978, in the
Ivory Coast city of Abidjan. At age 5, he was sent to live in France with an
uncle, a professional soccer player, with the hope he would be exposed to more
opportunities by the experience. Eventually, his parents and siblings joined
him in France.
He became more serious about organized soccer as a teenager, playing for youth teams of the Levallois and Le Mans clubs. However, he was set back by injuries and his lack of training at one of the soccer academies that develop elite talent for European clubs, and struggled to earn recognition.
He became more serious about organized soccer as a teenager, playing for youth teams of the Levallois and Le Mans clubs. However, he was set back by injuries and his lack of training at one of the soccer academies that develop elite talent for European clubs, and struggled to earn recognition.
Drogba signed his first pro contract with Le Mans when he was
21, but he received his first big break after transferring to Guingamp in 2002,
where he helped the club avoid relegation to the second division. He
transferred to Marseille for the 2003-04 seasons, scoring 19 goals in 35 games
to win the French Ligue 1 Player of the Year. Having reached his athletic
prime, the 26-year-old was targeted by many of Europe's top clubs, and Chelsea
paid a transfer fee of roughly $36 million for his services in 2004.
His performance was uneven in his first two seasons of Premier League play, and he drew heavy criticism for "diving," the act of falling down after contact in hopes of drawing a foul, and for his outbursts at referees. But the powerful 6'2" striker finally appeared comfortable in his third season, scoring 33 goals to win the Premier League Golden Boot, along with the game winners in the League Cup and FA Cup finals.
His career with Chelsea ended in storybook fashion when he scored the winning goal in a penalty shootout against Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final. Altogether, he scored 157 goals in 341 appearances with Chelsea, and helped the club to three English Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups.
He signed a lucrative deal with Shanghai Shenhua in June 2012, but his career in China was short-lived, as he played just 11 games with Shanghai before transferring to the Galatasaray club in Turkey.
His performance was uneven in his first two seasons of Premier League play, and he drew heavy criticism for "diving," the act of falling down after contact in hopes of drawing a foul, and for his outbursts at referees. But the powerful 6'2" striker finally appeared comfortable in his third season, scoring 33 goals to win the Premier League Golden Boot, along with the game winners in the League Cup and FA Cup finals.
His career with Chelsea ended in storybook fashion when he scored the winning goal in a penalty shootout against Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final. Altogether, he scored 157 goals in 341 appearances with Chelsea, and helped the club to three English Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups.
He signed a lucrative deal with Shanghai Shenhua in June 2012, but his career in China was short-lived, as he played just 11 games with Shanghai before transferring to the Galatasaray club in Turkey.
Drogba made his first international appearances for the Ivory
Coast team in 2002 and by 2007 had scored 28 goals, a record for his country.
Named African Footballer of the Year in 2006 and 2009, he captained the Ivory
Coast to runner-up finishes in the African Cup of Nations finals in 2006 and
2012.
Drogba catapulted the national team, nicknamed "the Elephants," into World Cup competition for the first time in 2006, and again in 2010. Although the Elephants failed to advance past the group stage both times, their appearance in soccer's biggest tournament with the likes of Brazil and England thrilled their devoted fans from Africa.
Drogba catapulted the national team, nicknamed "the Elephants," into World Cup competition for the first time in 2006, and again in 2010. Although the Elephants failed to advance past the group stage both times, their appearance in soccer's biggest tournament with the likes of Brazil and England thrilled their devoted fans from Africa.
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