Didier Drogba: The Household Name of African Football

Without the slightest of doubts, Didier Drogba is one of the most famous faces of African football. Just by walking anywhere in Africa, you are sure to meet posters and replica jerseys full of Drogba's name. Born in 1978 in Abidjan Ivory Coast, Didier Drogba is a professional footballer who plays as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of Ivory Coast and is famous for his playing days with Chelsea in England. Having spent most of his time in France, Drogba started his playing career with a semi-professional club Levallois before signing for Ligue 2 side Le Mans in France.

Even though his early times at Le Mans were not all that successful, Drogba signed for Guingamp from Le Mans for 80000 pounds and helped his new club avoid relegation by scoring 3 goals in 11 appearances. In his second season at Guingamp, Drogba scored 17 goals in 34 appearances helping the club to finish seventh in the French top flight, a record finish for the club. His impressive performances and professional attitude earned him a move to Olympique Marseille for a fee slightly above 3 million pounds. In his first season at Marseille, Drogba was so impressive during the season that he won the professional players' award, an award given by fellow professional colleagues. His performances in both the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Champions League where he scored more than ten goals attracted the attention of top European clubs including Chelsea, who signed him for a then club-record fee of 24 million pounds in 2004.

Chelsea Career

Having attracted an astronomical fee at the time, Drogba was always scrutinized for his performances, which in the first season were below par. Nevertheless, Drogba finished the season with 16 goals, a premiership trophy and a league cup medal. His subsequent seasons proved even more successful in his 8 years at Chelsea that ensured that he cemented his legendary place not only at Chelsea Football Club but also in the English Premier League. Some of his highlights with Chelsea were his amazing and unforgettable goals against Barcelona, Everton, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Bayern Munich. Drogba is famous for his marauding runs and his energy play, especially in the air and is well-known to have given some of the biggest defenders numerous problems. His place among the legends at Chelsea was cemented when he won the UEFA Champions League with the club in 2012 having scored a late equalizer before scoring the winning penalty.

After leaving Chelsea in the summer of 2012, Drogba had stints in China with Shanghai Shenhua, Galatasaray in Turkey before returning to Chelsea for another season. In his career with Chelsea, Drogba won 4 premier league trophies, four FA Cups, one UEFA Champions League and three league cups. In terms of national duty with Ivory Coast, Drogba represented Ivory Coast in 3 world cups and 6 African Nations Cup. He was the captain until his retirement from the national team and will be remembered as the scorer of the nation's first-ever goal at a World Cup.

Described as a late bloomer in football terms, Didier Drogba was known for his prolific goal-scoring instincts during his heydays. His physical strength and power in the air was always a challenge to opposing players. His passion for the game is still unwavering and is one of the living legends of African football.