Didier Drogba

Didier Drogba
Drogba in 2019
Personal information
Full name Didier Yves Drogba Tébily[1]
Date of birth (1978-03-11) 11 March 1978[2]
Place of birth Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[3]
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
Dunkerque
1988–1989 Tourcoing[4]
1989–1991 Abbeville
1991–1993 Vannes
1993–1997 Levallois
1997–1998 Le Mans
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2002 Le Mans 64 (12)
2002–2003 Guingamp 45 (20)
2003–2004 Marseille 35 (19)
2004–2012 Chelsea 226 (100)
2012–2013 Shanghai Shenhua 11 (8)
2013–2014 Galatasaray 37 (15)
2014–2015 Chelsea 28 (4)
2015–2016 Montreal Impact 33 (21)
2017–2018 Phoenix Rising 21 (13)
Total 500 (212)
International career
2002–2014 Ivory Coast 105 (65)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Ivory Coast
Africa Cup of Nations
Runner-up 2006 Egypt
Runner-up 2012 Equatorial Guinea–Gabon
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (French pronunciation: [didje iv dʁɔɡba tebili]; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a striker.[5] He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is known for his career at Chelsea, where he is the club’s top goalscorer as a foreign player and is currently the club's fourth highest goalscorer of all time. Widely regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time, he was known for his pace, aerial abilities, and powerful and accurate strikes. Drogba was named African Footballer of the Year twice (2006 and 2009). He ranks fourth for the all-time African men's top goalscorers in international football, and the highest for an African player from the 21st century, with 65 goals.

After playing in youth teams, Drogba made his debut into football at the age of 21 for Ligue 2 club Le Mans. After finishing the 2002–03 season with 17 goals in 34 appearances for Ligue 1 side Guingamp, he moved to Olympique de Marseille, where he finished as the third highest goalscorer in the 2003–04 season with 19 goals and helped the club reach the 2004 UEFA Cup Final.

In July 2004, Drogba moved to Premier League club Chelsea for £24 million, making him the most expensive Ivorian player of all time. In his debut season, he helped Chelsea win their first league title in 50 years along with another Premier League title a year later. He was named in the 2007 FIFA World XI. In March 2012, he became the first African player to score 100 Premier League goals.[6] Two months later, he scored in Chelsea's 2012 FA Cup Final win over Liverpool to become the first player to score in four FA Cup finals.[7] He also played in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final, where he scored an 88th-minute equaliser and the winning penalty in the penalty shootout against Bayern Munich.[8] After spending six months with Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, he moved to Turkish club Galatasaray, where he scored the winning goal in the final of the 2013 Turkish Super Cup. Drogba returned to Chelsea in July 2014.[9][10] With a record of scoring 10 goals in 10 finals, Drogba is referred to as the "ultimate big game player".[11][12] He joined Canadian club Montreal Impact in 2015 as a designated player and played 41 matches over two seasons, scoring 23 goals. Drogba became a player and owner of Phoenix Rising in the United Soccer League in 2017 and retired a year later at the age of 40. On 21 April 2022, he was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.[13][14]

Drogba made his debut for Ivory Coast in 2002 and became the captain in 2006. He is the nation's all-time top goalscorer with 65 goals in 105 appearances.[1][15] He led the Ivory Coast to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, their first appearance in the tournament, and scored their first goal. He captained Ivory Coast at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.[16] He led Ivory Coast to two Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2006 and 2012, though they lost on penalties on both occasions. On 8 August 2014, he announced his retirement from international football.[17]

Drogba played a vital role in solving issues in his home country and in Africa.[18] In 2007, he was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme. In December 2018, he became Vice President of the international organization Peace and Sport.[19]

  1. ^ a b "Didier Yves Drogba Tébily – Century of International Appearances". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  2. ^ Didier Drogba at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  3. ^ "Didier Drogba Chelsea Forward, Profile & Stats | Premier League". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  4. ^ "Histoire Palmares" Archived 29 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Footeo.com. Retrieved 28 August 2018
  5. ^ "Didier Drogba retires with defeat in USL Cup final". Sky Sports. 9 November 2018. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Drogba dedicates goal landmark to fans". Premier League. Archived from the original on 8 December 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Frank Lampard urges Chelsea to offer Didier Drogba new contract". BBC Sport. 7 May 2012. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  8. ^ "Didier Drogba will leave Chelsea this summer". BBC Sport. 22 May 2012. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  9. ^ "Didier Drogba: Chelsea re-sign club legend on free transfer". BBC Sport. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  10. ^ "Drogba signs". Chelsea Football Club. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  11. ^ "Didier Drogba broke another record with his goal against Schalke last night.. here's five more!". EuroSports. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  12. ^ "Drogba not the player he was but can still do Chelsea damage – if he really wants to". Four Four Two. 16 March 2015. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  13. ^ "Drogba inducted into Premier League Hall of Fame | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club". ChelseaFC. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Didier Drogba : Chelsea Legends". shedwall.chelseafc.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Didier Drogba: Chelsea striker announces Ivory Coast retirement". BBC Sport. 8 August 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  16. ^ Baxter, Kevin (4 June 2014). "It's an old World Cup story for Ivory Coast". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference intlretire was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference Anka was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Calendar, Event (13 December 2018). "Didier Drogba named Vice President of Peace and Sport". HelloMonaco. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
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