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Alain Perrin
Alain Perrin (born 7 October 1956 in Lure, Haute-Saône), is a retired French footballer and current manager of Qatari Stars League football club Alkhor SC.
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Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, Knight Bachelor, CBE, popularly known as Sir Alex or Fergie (born 31 December 1941 in Govan, Glasgow) is a Scottish football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986.
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Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole (born 20 December 1980) is an English professional footballer who plays for Chelsea and the England national team. He plays as a left-back and has been named one of the best in the world.
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Austria
Austria or (), officially the Republic of Austria (German: ), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below , and its highest point is . The majority of the population speaks German, which is also the country's official language. Other local official languages are Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
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Barry Silkman
Barry Silkman, (born 29 June 1952 in Stepney, England) is an English former footballer who had a brief spell in midfield at Manchester City in 1979 and a longer one at Leyton Orient (1981-1985).
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Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti (born 10 June 1959 in Reggiolo, Reggio Emilia) is an Italian retired footballer and current manager of Chelsea.
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Damien Duff
Damien Anthony Duff (born 2 March 1979) is an Irish footballer. He currently plays as a winger for Premier League club Fulham and internationally for the Republic of Ireland. Previously he has played for , with whom he won the Football League Cup; , where he won the League Cup and twice won the Premier League; he also played for until their relegation in 2009.
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Daniel Cousin
Daniel Michel Cousin (born February 2, 1977) is a Gabonese footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for Larissa and represents Gabon, for whom he is captain. Previously he has played for , Martigues, , Le Mans Union Club 72 and RC Lens.
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Essam El-Hadary
Essam El-Hadary () (born January 15, 1973) is an Egyptian goalkeeper, playing for Egyptian Premier League side Zamalek SC, he is also considered as one of the best goalkeepers in Africa's Football History.
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Florent Malouda
Florent Johan Malouda () (born 13 June 1980) is a French footballer who plays as a left winger for Chelsea in the Premier League and the French national team.
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Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chelsea and at international level for the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for both his club side and national side. He plays most often as a box-to-box midfielder and has also enjoyed spells in a more advanced attacking midfield. He is considered to be one of the best footballers in the world.
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Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli (born 9 July 1964 in Cremona) is a retired Italian football striker and manager. Vialli started his career at Cremonese in 1980 in his native Italy where he made 105 league appearances scoring 23 goals. His performances impressed Sampdoria who signed him in 1984. During which time he scored 85 league goals, won 3 Italian cups, the Serie A and the European Cup Winners Cup. Vialli transferred to Juventus for a World record £12.5 million in 1992. During this time he won the Italian Cup, the Serie A, Italian Supercup, UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup. In 1996 Vialli joined Chelsea and became Chelsea player manager the following season. In England he won the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Super Cup. He is one of nine footballers to have won the three main European club competitions.
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Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink (; born 8 November 1946) is a former Dutch footballer, who gained worldwide fame as a football manager. He is the current manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach of international football in 2009. He is recognised for winning the European treble (Eredivisie, Dutch Cup and European Cup) with PSV Eindhoven; managing the Netherlands to semi-finals of World Cup 1998; leading South Korea to a fourth place finish in the 2002 FIFA World Cup; leading Australia to their best ever finish in the 2006 FIFA World Cup; leading Russia to the semi-finals of Euro 2008, Russia's best performance since the breakup of the Soviet Union; and reviving Chelsea by winning the FA Cup in 2009 against Everton. He is currently the manager of the Turkish national team. His contract with the Russian national team expired June 20, 2010. Hiddink has also previously managed teams like Fenerbahçe, Valencia, and Real Madrid.
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Henk ten Cate
Henk ten Cate (born 9 December 1954 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland) is a Dutch football manager and a former professional player.
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Jens Lehmann
Jens Lehmann (; born 10 November 1969 in Essen) is a former German football goalkeeper. He was voted UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year for the 1996–97 and 2005–06 seasons, and he has been selected for three World Cup squads.
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John Ruddy
John Thomas Gordon Ruddy (born 24 October 1986 in Cambridgeshire, England) is an English footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Norwich City.
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John Terry
John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League. Terry was also captain of the England national football team from August 2006 until February 2010.
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Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito (born Josip Broz; Cyrillic script: Јосип Броз Тито; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. He was Secretary-General (later President) of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (1939–80), and went on to heroically lead the World War II Yugoslav guerrilla movement, the Yugoslav Partisans (1941–45). After the war, he was the Prime Minister (1943–63) and later President (1953–80) of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). From 1943 to his death in 1980, he held the rank of Marshal of Yugoslavia, serving as the supreme commander of the Yugoslav military, the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA).
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José Anigo
José Anigo (born April 15, 1961) is a French former football defender, currently sporting director for Olympique de Marseille.
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José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho, GOIH (; born 26 January 1963 in Setúbal), is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga. He has the nickname "The Special One," a self-proclaimed title which was later taken up by the British media.
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Kader Keita
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Kerry Dixon
Kerry Michael Dixon (born 24 July 1961, in Luton) is a retired English professional footballer who played most notably for Chelsea and England.
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Kolo Touré
Kolo Habib Touré (born 19 March 1981) is an Ivorian professional footballer who currently plays for Premier League club Manchester City and is the current club vice-captain, and also plays internationally for the Ivorian national team. Touré is a central defender. He is the older brother of Manchester City midfielder Yaya Touré and Smouha's Ibrahim Touré.
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Marcus Túlio Tanaka
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Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963 in Ruabon, Wrexham, Wales), nicknamed Sparky, is a former Welsh international football player and the current manager of Fulham having joined on 29 July 2010. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals.
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Michael Essien
Michael Kojo Essien (also referred to as Mickaël Essien) (born 3 December 1982) is a Ghanaian footballer who plays for English club Chelsea in the Premier League and Ghana national team. He is an all-round midfielder who can play in multiple midfield roles (defensively and offensively), but has often been touted as a box-to-box midfielder for his ability to exert boundless energy in supporting offensive and defensive play. Essien can also play in the defending position as a right back or centre back.
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Nemanja Vidić
Nemanja Vidić (Serbian Cyrillic: Немања Видић, ; born 21 October 1981 in Titovo Užice, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Serbian footballer who currently plays for and act as team captain the English Premier League club Manchester United and for the Serbian national team.
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Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Sebastien Anelka (; born 14 March 1979) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Chelsea in the Premier League. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team. Carlo Ancelotti describes him as a quick player with good aerial ability, technique, shooting, and movement off the ball.
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Norman Whiteside
Norman Whiteside (born 7 May 1965 in Rathcoole, Northern Ireland) is a former Northern Irish football player who represented his country in two World Cups. He played for Manchester United (273 appearances, 66 goals) and Everton, before his career was ended by injury at the age of 26. He won the FA Cup twice during his time playing for Manchester United, in 1983 and 1985.
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Pinhas Zahavi
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Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes (born 16 April 1960) is a Spanish football manager and former player, currently in charge of Internazionale having replaced José Mourinho in June 2010.
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Samuel Eto'o
football biography 2
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The Times
The Times is a daily national newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785, when it was known as The Daily Universal Register.
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Thomas Sørensen
Thomas Løvendahl Sørensen (born 12 June 1976) is a Danish professional football goalkeeper, who plays for Stoke City of the English Premiership. He has previously represented Premiership teams Sunderland and Aston Villa.
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Tom Henning Øvrebø
Tom Henning Øvrebø (born 26 June 1966) is a Norwegian football referee. Born in Oslo, Øvrebø is a former UEFA Elite referee, who has refereed matches in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League. He worked as a psychologist outside of football.
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Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team.
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Łukasz Fabiański
Łukasz Fabiański (; born 18 April 1985) is a Polish footballer who plays for English Premier League club Arsenal and the Polish national team as a goalkeeper.
http://wn.com/Łukasz_Fabiański
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Abu Dhabi ( , literally Father of deer) is the capital and the second largest city in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast. The city proper, making up an area of
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Accra ( or ) is the capital and largest city in Ghana with the population of the city proper estimated at 1,963,264 as of 2009. Accra also doubles as the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District with which it is coterminous. Accra is also the anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area called the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and includes eight districts - Accra Metropolitan, Tema Metropolitan, Ga East Municipal, Ga West Municipal, Ga South Municipal, Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal, Ashaiman Municipal and Adenta Municipal. It is home to about 4 million people, making it the largest metropolitan conglomeration in the country by population. As a primate city, Accra is the administrative, communications, and economic centre of the country.
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Alexandria (Arabic: al-Iskandariyya; Coptic: ; ; ; Egyptian Arabic: اسكندريه ), with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport, serving approximately 80% of Egypt's imports and exports. Alexandria is also an important tourist resort. Alexandria extends about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in north-central Egypt. It is home to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (the new Library). It is an important industrial centre because of its natural gas and oil pipelines from Suez, another city in Egypt.
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Angola, officially the Republic of Angola (, ; ), is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city. The exclave province of Cabinda has a border with the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Austria or (), officially the Republic of Austria (German: ), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below , and its highest point is . The majority of the population speaks German, which is also the country's official language. Other local official languages are Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
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Benin (), officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is located in the country's largest city of Cotonou. Benin covers an area of approximately 110,000 square kilometers (42,000 sq mi), with a population of approximately 8.8 million. Benin is a tropical, sub-Saharan nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming.
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Burkina Faso ( ; ) – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.
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Cabinda or Tchiowa, as it is called by the Cabindans, is a city that is located in the Cabinda Province, an exclave of Angola. Angolan sovereignty over Cabinda is disputed by the Republic of Cabinda. The municipality of Cabinda contained 357,576 inhabitants in 2008.
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Cairo (; , literally "The Vanquisher" or "The Conqueror") is the capital of Egypt, the largest city in Africa and the Arab World, and one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a center of the region's political and cultural life. Even before Cairo was established in the 10th century, the land composing the present-day city was the site of national capitals whose remnants remain visible in parts of Old Cairo. Cairo is also associated with Ancient Egypt due to its proximity to the Great Sphinx and the pyramids in adjacent Giza.
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Cotonou is the economic capital of Benin, as well as its largest city. Its official population count was 761,137 inhabitants in 2006; however, some estimates indicate its population may be as high as 1.2 million. The population in 1960 was only 70,000. The urban area continues to expand, notably towards the west. The city lies in the southeast of the country, between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Nokoué, located at 6°22' North, 2°26' East (6.36667, 2.4333). [http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/cntry_files.html]
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The Republic of (; ), commonly known in English as Ivory Coast, is a country in West Africa. It has an area of 322,462 km2, and borders the countries of Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population which was 15,366,672 in 1998, was estimated to be 20,617,068 in 2009.
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Dar es Salaam ( [translation: "house of Peace"] Dār as-Salām), formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: Kinondoni to the north, Ilala in the center of the region, and Temeke to the south. The Dar es Salaam Region had a population of 2,497,940 as of the official 2002 census. Though Dar es Salaam lost its official status as capital city to Dodoma in 1974, it remains the centre of the permanent central government bureaucracy and continues to serve as the capital for the surrounding Dar es Salaam Region.
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Egypt (; , Miṣr, ; Egyptian Arabic: مصر, Maṣr, ; Coptic: , ; Greek: Αίγυπτος, Aiguptos; Egyptian:
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{{Infobox Country
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Germany (), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (, ), is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The territory of Germany covers 357.021 km2 and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state of the European Union, and home to the third-largest number of international migrants worldwide.
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The Republic of Ghana is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word Ghana means "Warrior King" and is derived from the ancient
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Hamburg (; , local pronunciation Low German/Low Saxon: Hamborg ) is the second-largest city in Germany and the eighth-largest city in the European Union. The city is home to over 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg Metropolitan Region (including parts of the neighboring Federal States of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein) has more than 4.3 million inhabitants. The port of Hamburg is the third-largest port in Europe (third to Port of Antwerp and Rotterdam), and the eighth largest in the world.
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Innsbruck is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn Valley at the junction with the Wipptal (Sill River), which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some south of Innsbruck. Located in the broad valley between high mountains, the Nordkette (Hafelekar, ) in the north, Patscherkofel () and Serles () in the south, it is an internationally renowned winter sports centre, and hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics and the 1984 and 1988 Winter Paralympics. It is to host the 1st Winter Youth Olympics in 2012. The word bruck comes from the German word Brücke meaning "bridge" which leads to "the bridge over the Inn".
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Johannesburg (, ) also known as Jozi, '''Jo'burg or eGoli''', is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa.. The city is one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world, and is also the world's largest city not situated on a river, lake, or coastline.
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The State of Kuwait (, Dawlat al-Kuwayt) is a sovereign Arab nation situated in the northeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south, and Iraq to the north. It lies on the northwestern shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the Arabic "akwat", the plural of "kout", meaning fortress built near water. The emirate covers an area of 17,820 square kilometres (6,880 sq mi) and has a population of about 2.7 million.
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Kuwait City (Arabic: مدينة الكويت, transliteration: Madīnat al-Kuwayt), is the capital of Kuwait. It has 2.38 million in the metropolitan area. Located at the heart of the country on the shore of the Persian Gulf, and containing Kuwait's parliament (Majlis Al-Umma), most governmental offices, the headquarters of most Kuwaiti corporations and banks, it is the undisputable political, cultural and economic center of the emirate.
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The Republic of Malawi (; Chichewa ) is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size is over with an estimated population of more than 13,900,000. Its capital is Lilongwe, the second largest city is Blantyre and the third large city is Mzuzu. The name Malawi comes from the Maravi, an old name of the Nyanja people that inhabit the area.
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Mali, officially the Republic of Mali (), is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with a population more than 14 million. Its capital is Bamako.
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The Millennium Stadium () is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and the Wales national football team but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage of Wales Rally Great Britain, Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain, boxing and many music concerts, including Tina Turner, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, U2, Stereophonics and the Tsunami Relief concert. It was built ready for Cardiff to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
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{{Infobox country
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Ouagadougou (, Mossi: ) is the capital of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 1,475,223 (as of 2006). The city's name is often shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais. The spelling of the name Ouagadougou is derived from the French orthography common in former French African colonies. If English orthography were used (as in Ghana or Nigeria), the spelling would be Wagadugu.
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Radès () is a harbour city in Ben Arous Governorate, Tunisia. Situated 9 kilometres south-east of the capital Tunis, some consider it a Tunis suburb, and parts of the harbour installations of Tunis are located in Radès.
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The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland; while Lesotho is an independent country wholly surrounded by South African territory.
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Switzerland (, , , ), officially the Swiss Confederation (Confoederatio Helvetica in Latin, hence its ISO country codes CH and CHE), is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
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The United Republic of Tanzania (; phonetical: tan-zann-ei-a; or sometimes tan-zanneia; ) is a country in central East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.
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Tunisia (pronounced , ; Tūnis), officially the Tunisian Republic ( al-Jumhūriyya at-Tūnisiyya), is the northernmost country in Africa. It is an Arab country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area is almost 165,000 km², with an estimated population of just over 10.3 million. Its name is derived from the capital Tunis located in the north-east.
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Turkey (), known officially as the Republic of Turkey (), is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic states. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between Eastern Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia.
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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) (, , short name: The Emirates, local short name: Al Emarat الامارات) is a federation situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Iran. The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, (because they are ruled by Emirs) which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah. The capital and second largest city of the United Arab Emirates is Abu Dhabi. It is also the country's center of political, industrial, and cultural activities.
http://wn.com/United_Arab_Emirates
- 2003–04 Ligue 1
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Coordinates | 29°57′53″N90°4′14″N |
---|---|
playername | Didier Drogba |
fullname | Didier Yves Drogba Tébily |
dateofbirth | March 11, 1978 |
cityofbirth | Abidjan |
countryofbirth | Côte d'Ivoire |
height | |
position | Striker |
currentclub | Chelsea |
clubnumber | 11 |
youthyears1 | 1996–1997 |youthclubs1 Levallois |
youthyears2 | 1997–1998 |youthclubs2 Le Mans |
years1 | 1998–2002 |clubs1 Le Mans |caps1 64 |goals1 12 |
years2 | 2002–2003 |clubs2 Guingamp |caps2 45 |goals2 20 |
years3 | 2003–2004 |clubs3 Marseille |caps3 35 |goals3 19 |
years4 | 2004– |clubs4 Chelsea |caps4 202 |goals4 95 |
nationalyears1 | 2002– |nationalteam1 Côte d'Ivoire |nationalcaps1 75 |nationalgoals1 50 |
pcupdate | 17:16, 6 June 2011 (UTC) |
ntupdate | 20:52, 10 August 2011 (UTC) }} |
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; it was not until the 2002–03 season that he realized his potential, scoring 17 goals in 34 appearances in Ligue 1 for Guingamp. During the same season he made his first international appearance for Côte d'Ivoire, in September, and scored his first international goal the following February. He moved to Olympique de Marseille in 2003 for £3.3 million. His scoring success at Olympique de Marseille continued, finishing as the third highest scorer in Ligue 1 with 19 goals and helped the club to reach 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 Ivoirian player in history. In addition, he scored decisive goals in the 2005 Football League Cup Final and in the 2005 FA Community Shield 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 Côte d'Ivoire'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 Football League Cup Final 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 Chelsea winning their first double in the club's history. He won his second Golden Boot with 29 goals, and scored the only goal in Chelsea's victory over Portsmouth in the 2010 FA Cup Final. This goal makes him the only player to score in six English Cup finals.
Drogba is credited with playing a vital role in bringing peace to his country. After Côte d'Ivoire 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 five years of civil war. Drogba later helped move an African Cup of Nations qualifier to the rebel stronghold of Bouake; a move that helped confirm 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.
Drogba also holds a French passport.
Early life
Didier Drogba was born in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and at the age of five was sent to France by his parents to live with his uncle, Michel Goba, a professional footballer. However, Drogba soon became homesick and returned to Abidjan after three years. His mother nicknamed him "Tito", after president Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, whom she admired greatly. He played football every day in a car park in the city but his return to Côte d'Ivoire was short lived. Both of his parents lost their jobs and he again returned to live with his uncle. In 1991, his parents also traveled to France; first to Vannes and then settling in 1993 at Antony in the Paris suburbs, at which point the 15-year-old Drogba returned to live with them and his siblings. It was here that he began playing team football more frequently, joining a local youth side. Drogba began his career as a junior player at the semi-professional club Levallois, gaining a reputation as a prolific scorer in the youth team and impressing the coach with his professional attitude. His performances earned him a place in the senior squad but despite scoring in his debut, the 18-year-old Ivorian failed to make an impression on Jacques Loncar, the first team coach.
Club career
Le Mans (1997–2002)
When Drogba finished school he switched cities to study accountancy at college and he had to change clubs, becoming an apprentice at Ligue 2 club Le Mans. However, his first two years there were marred by injuries and he was physically struggling to cope with the training and match schedule. Former Le Mans coach Marc Westerloppe later remarked that "it took Didier four years to be capable of training every day and playing every week". Furthermore, Drogba's complicated family life meant that he had never attended a football academy and only began daily football training as a fully grown adult.By age 21, Drogba realized that he had to establish himself as a player soon or else he would have little chance of becoming a professional footballer. He made his first team debut for Le Mans soon thereafter and signed his first professional contract in 1999. Drogba's personal life was also becoming more serious as he and his Malian wife Alla had their first child, Isaac. He grew into his new responsibilities, later stating: "Isaac's birth was a turning point in my life, it straightened me out". His first season, in which he scored seven goals in thirty games, boded well for the future, but during the following season he did not live up to expectations. Drogba lost his place to Daniel Cousin due to injury, then upon his return he failed to score throughout the remainder of the season. However, he returned to form the following season, making 21 appearances and scoring five times.
Guingamp (2002–2003)
Halfway through the 2001–02 season Ligue 1 club Guingamp consolidated months of interest with a transfer offer and Drogba left Le Mans for a fee of £80,000. The second half of the 2001–02 season saw Drogba make eleven appearances and score three goals for Guingamp. While his contributions helped the club avoid relegation, the coaching staff remained unconvinced of their new young striker. However, the next season he rewarded his coaches' patience, scoring 17 goals in 34 appearances and helping Guingamp finish seventh, a record league finish. He credited his teammates for his impressive season, highlighting the contributions of winger Florent Malouda, a long time friend of Drogba, as a key factor in his goalscoring prolificity that season. His strong goal scoring record attracted interest from larger clubs and at the end of the season he moved to Ligue 1 outfit Marseille for a fee of £3.3 million.
Marseille (2003–2004)
Olympique de Marseille manager Alain Perrin signed Drogba from Guingamp, though he was soon replaced by José Anigo. Drogba retained his place in the team, scoring 19 goals and winning the Ligue de Football Professionnel's Player of the Year. He also scored five goals in that season's UEFA Champions League and six in the UEFA Cup. At the end of the season he was bought by Chelsea as the club's then record signing for £24 million. His shirt from his only season at OM is also framed in the basilica of Marseille, Notre-Dame de la Garde, which he presented to the church before the 2004 UEFA Cup Final. Drogba remains a club legend in Marseille, despite playing only one season for the club.
Chelsea (2004–present)
Signing for Chelsea in July 2004 for £24 million, Drogba scored in his third game for the club with a header against Crystal Palace. His season was interrupted when he pulled a stomach muscle against which kept him out of action for over two months. Chelsea won the Premiership, only their second English top-flight championship and their first in 50 years, and the League Cup, with Drogba scoring in extra time in a 3–2 final win against Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League. Drogba scored 16 goals in 40 games for Chelsea in his first season: 10 in the Premiership, five in the Champions League and one in the League Cup final.Drogba started the 2005–06 season by scoring two goals in a Community Shield win over Arsenal. His reputation was marred amidst accusations of cheating during Chelsea's 2–0 win over Manchester City. Replays showed that he had used his hand to control the ball before scoring the second of his two goals. This occurred just a week after a similar incident against Fulham where the goal was disallowed. In a post match interview with the BBC, he acknowledged that he had handled the ball and when prompted by the interviewer regarding allegations about his tendency to dive, he said: "Sometimes I dive, sometimes I stand," before immediately retracting his comment: "I don't dive, I play my game". The BBC pundits went on to suggest that he had misunderstood the question due to language barriers.
Chelsea went on to retain the league title with two games to play, becoming only the second team to win back-to-back English titles in the Premier League era. Again Drogba finished with 16 goals for the season, 12 in the league, two in the Community Shield, one in the Champions League and one in the FA Cup.
2006–07
After the departure of Damien Duff to Newcastle United, Drogba switched from the number 15 shirt he had worn for Chelsea since 2004 to the number 11 shirt vacated by Duff. The season was a personal success for Drogba as he hit 33 goals in all competitions (more than his tally in the previous two seasons combined), including 20 in the Premier League to win the Golden Boot. In doing so, he became the first Chelsea player since Kerry Dixon in 1984–85 to reach 30 goals in a season. The breakdown of his 33 goals: 20 in the Premier League, six in the Champions League, three in the FA Cup and four in the League Cup.
Among the highlights were scoring winners from outside the penalty area against Liverpool, Everton and Barcelona, a 93rd minute equaliser against Barcelona at the Camp Nou and both Chelsea's goals in their 2–1 League Cup final win over Arsenal. He also completed two hat-tricks; one against Watford and the other against Levski Sofia in the Champions League, Chelsea's first hat-trick in European competition since Gianluca Vialli in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1997. In his last competitive game that season, he scored the winning goal over Manchester United in the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley Stadium. This also meant that he joined Norman Whiteside (Manchester United in 1983) and Mark Hughes (Manchester United in 1994) as players who have scored goals in both English domestic finals in the same year, although Drogba was the first player to end up on the winning team after scoring in both finals.
In January 2007, Drogba was crowned the Ivorian Player of the Year, ahead of Kader Keita, Aruna Dindane, and Kolo Touré. In March, he was named African Footballer of the Year for the first time, ahead of Samuel Eto'o and Chelsea teammate Michael Essien. His performances during the season saw him named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year and runner-up to Cristiano Ronaldo in the PFA Player of the Year awards.
Drogba faced problems off the pitch during the end of the season as his transfer from Marseille to Chelsea in July 2004 came under scrutiny. The Stevens inquiry in June 2007 expressed concerns because of the lack of co-operation from agents Pinhas Zahavi and Barry Silkman.
2007–08
The 2007–08 season began badly for Drogba as he expressed doubts about the departure of manager José Mourinho. He was reportedly in tears when Mourinho told him he was leaving the club, and said "Mourinho's departure destroys a certain familiarity we had at the club. Many of us used to play first and foremost for the manager. Now we need to forget those feelings and find another source of motivation". Following these claims, Drogba told France Football Magazine "I want to leave Chelsea. Something is broken with Chelsea, The damage is big in the dressing room". Despite having signed a four year contract with the club in 2006, Drogba reportedly pointed out several favoured clubs in the interview, identifying Barcelona, Real Madrid, Milan or Internazionale as possible future destinations, he later admitted he regretted this and was 100% committed to Chelsea. He soon regained the trust of the board and fans, scoring in Chelsea's 2–0 victory over Middlesbrough on 20 October 2007, against Schalke 04 in the Champions League four days later, and 2 goals against Manchester City, giving superb performances in all.
Drogba continued scoring goals but suffered an injury at the training ground and decided to have an operation on his knee. He was unable to play for four weeks and missed key games against Valencia, Arsenal and Liverpool. Drogba returned from injury to play in an FA Cup third round match against QPR and wore the captain's armband for the last 30 minutes in which he was on the pitch, but that was his last performance for The Blues before international duty at the African Nations Cup. Upon his return Drogba scored a goal in the 2008 League Cup Final which made him the all-time leading scorer in League Cup Finals with four. He also became the first player to score in three League Cup finals and the first to score in three consecutive English domestic cup finals. He scored both goals in a key 2–1 victory against Arsenal on 23 March 2008 which took Chelsea equal on points with leaders Manchester United.
On 26 April 2008 Drogba faced controversy after a clash with Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidić. The Serbian centre-back had to have stitches under his lip after losing a tooth in the clash. There was discussion whether Drogba had the intention or not to injure his rival. The debate also called in to question an earlier incident on 26 November 2006 where Drogba elbowed Vidić. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson expressed concerns over elbowing in the Premiership. Despite media speculation, Drogba's yellow card for the clash was deemed adequate punishment by the FA.
Controversy still dogged the player as before the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg clash with Liverpool, Drogba was accused of diving by Liverpool coach Rafael Benítez. Benítez claimed to have compiled a four-year dossier of Drogba's "diving" antics but Drogba hit back at Benítez in an interview.
On 30 April 2008 Drogba scored two goals in the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Liverpool, which Chelsea won 3–2 at Stamford Bridge. This was the first time Chelsea had beaten Liverpool in the semi-finals of the Champions League, having lost their previous two meetings to Liverpool. This also led to Chelsea reaching their first Champions League Final. Drogba became Chelsea's top scorer in European competition, the two goals he scored putting his tally at 17, beating Peter Osgood's record of 16. Drogba was sent off in the 117th minute of the Champions League Final for slapping defender Vidić, becoming only the second player to be sent off in a European Cup final – after Jens Lehmann in 2006 – and the first for violent conduct. Chelsea went on to lose 6–5 on penalties after a 1–1 draw in extra time. Chelsea assistant boss Henk ten Cate revealed Drogba was due to take the crunch fifth spot-kick in the shootout. Team captain John Terry took his place but missed after slipping whilst taking the penalty.
2008–09
Drogba suffered a string of injuries early on in the season and struggled to regain fitness, missing games from August to November due to knee problems. He scored his first goal of the season in mid-November but there was little reason to celebrate: he incurred disciplinary action and a three match ban for throwing a coin back into the stands and Chelsea suffered a League Cup defeat against Burnley. Drogba scored his second goal of the season in a 2–1 victory against CFR Cluj in the UEFA Champions League, while his first Premier League goal of the season came in a 2–0 win against West Bromwich Albion in late December 2008. Having missed many games through injury and suspension, Drogba had lost his first team place and manager Scolari favoured playing Nicolas Anelka as a lone striker rather than pairing the two. However, he resolved to regain his position in the squad and Chelsea remained keen to keep the Ivorian.Upon the temporary appointment of Guus Hiddink in early February following the sacking of Scolari, Drogba enjoyed a rejuvenation of sorts, returning to his rich goal-scoring form with four goals in five games after the new manager took over. His revival in form saw him net twice against Bolton Wanderers, and four times in four Champions League matches, one in each leg of the last sixteen and quarter final of the competition against Juventus and Liverpool respectively, with these goals ensuring Chelsea's passage into the semi-finals. Just four days after his Champions League heroics, Drogba scored a late winner in the FA Cup semi-final match against Arsenal after Frank Lampard's superb pass found Drogba and he carefully rounded Arsenal goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański before slotting into an empty net. Drogba also caused controversy after Chelsea's Champions League semi-final defeat at the hands of Barcelona. Feeling that many decisions had gone against Chelsea, substituted Drogba confronted referee Tom Henning Øvrebø after the final whistle. He received a yellow card in the process and was recorded shouting "It's a fucking disgrace" into a live television camera. On 17 June 2009, UEFA subsequently handed him a six game European ban with the final two games suspended.The ban then was cut down by 1 match after an appeal by Chelsea. In the 2009 FA Cup Final he scored Chelsea's first and equalising goal as they went on to win 2–1. This was his sixth goal in a major cup final in England. Although Drogba had previously expressed his desire to switch clubs, he decided to remain with the Blues under new coach Carlo Ancelotti and sign a new contract.
2009–10
Drogba began the season in fine form for Chelsea, netting a penalty during a shoot-out in the Community Shield over Manchester United, before scoring twice in a 2–1 victory over Hull City. Drogba earned himself an assist when he was fouled in the area to give Chelsea a penalty, which Frank Lampard duly converted, in a 3–1 victory over Sunderland. In Chelsea's third game of the season against West-London rivals Fulham, Drogba scored his third goal of the season. Drogba scored his fourth goal of the season, against Stoke City; Chelsea ended winning the game 2–1 with a late strike from Malouda. He added a fifth at home against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on 20 September. He scored his 100th goal for Chelsea in a 3–1 defeat against Wigan Athletic. Drogba was again important in the 2–0 win over title rivals Liverpool on 4 October. He assisted both goals, setting up Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda. He then scored a glancing header against Blackburn on 24 October 2009, bringing his tally to an impressive eight goals in eleven appearances, scoring his third goal in as many games. Drogba continued his fine form scoring a header against Bolton Wanderers in a 4–0 thrashing in the Carling Cup, Drogba went on to score a fine team goal in the same week with another 4–0 win against Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League.After missing the first three Champions League matches for Chelsea with a ban, Drogba started the fourth game against Spanish side Atlético Madrid. He scored two goals in the last ten minutes and the match ended 2–2. The latter being a fine solo effort in which he beat a number of the opposition players and had his first effort saved by the goalkeeper but then slotted in the rebound. On 29 November, Drogba scored a brace against London rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, the second of which a free kick from outside the box. It brought his tally for the season to 14 goals in 16 games. On 12 December, Drogba continued to impress with 2 goals in 3–3 draw against Everton.
Between 3 and 30 January Drogba was on Africa Cup of Nations duty and came back on 2 February against Hull City where he scored a 40th minute equaliser to tie the game 1–1. On 24 March, Drogba scored his 30th goal of the season in an away game against Portsmouth.
On 9 May, Drogba inspired Chelsea to win the Premier League by scoring a hat-trick in an 8–0 win over Wigan Athletic. In doing so, he not only collected his third League winner's medal, but also won the Golden Boot for the season, his second time doing so, by topping the chart with 29 league goals, beating Wayne Rooney to the title who remained on 26 goals. Both players had the same number of goals (26) before the start of their respective fixtures. However, during the game, Drogba appeared to be clearly angry with team-mate and regular penalty taker Frank Lampard, after Lampard refused to let Drogba take a penalty which would lead Chelsea to go 2–0 up and give him a chance of winning the golden boot. Lampard scored the penalty, but Drogba did not celebrate with his team-mates. Later on in the game though Ashley Cole was tripped in the box when Chelsea were already 5–0 up, and this time Lampard allowed Drogba to take the penalty, which he scored to go two goals clear of Rooney.
2010–11
Drogba came on as a sub for Anelka against Manchester United in the Community Shield, but could not help prevent Chelsea from succumbing to a 3–1 loss. However, he started the Premier League season in fine form, continuing from where he left off on the last day of the previous campaign as he scored a hat-trick against West Brom in a 6–0 victory. In Chelsea's next game against Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium, Drogba made three assists in another 6–0 win. Drogba also played the next game at home against Stoke City where he played the whole 90 minutes and scored his fourth goal of the Premier League season when he smashed home a penalty after Nicolas Anelka was brought down by Thomas Sørensen inside the box. On 7 November 2010, Drogba missed the first half of Chelsea's 2–0 defeat by Liverpool. It was later revealed that he had been suffering from malaria for at least a month. He had first complained of feeling unwell before the October 2010 international break but the illness was only diagnosed on 8 November 2010. Having diagnosed the problem, Chelsea insisted that he would make a full recovery within days.
2011-12
While playing against Norwich City on 27 August 2011, Drogba suffered a concussion in a collision with Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy.
International career
Drogba is a Côte d'Ivoire international and helped the team qualify for its first ever World Cup, held in Germany in 2006. His first cap came on 8 September 2002 against South Africa and he scored his first goal with "The Elephants" on 11 February 2003 against Cameroon in a 3–0 victory.In February 2006, Drogba captained Côte d'Ivoire to their second African Cup of Nations final, scoring the only goal in their semi-final match with Nigeria and putting away the deciding spot-kick in their record-tying 12–11 penalty shootout quarter-final win over Cameroon. However, they lost in the final to Egypt 4–2 on penalties after a 0–0 draw, with Drogba's shot being stopped by Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary in a penalty shoot-out.
In the 2006 World Cup, Côte d'Ivoire were drawn in a "group of death" with Serbia and Montenegro, the Netherlands and Argentina. On 11 June 2006, Drogba scored the first World Cup goal of his career and of his country's history in the opening game against Argentina, but his team lost. Côte d'Ivoire were eliminated from the World Cup after their next game, a 1–2 defeat to the Netherlands, but came from 0–2 down to win against Serbia and Montenegro 3–2 in their final group game, with Drogba watching from the sidelines following suspension.
In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Côte d'Ivoire were drawn in a group with Nigeria, Mali and underdogs Benin. Drogba scored two goals in the group stage, opening the scoring in the 4–1 win over Benin and the first on the score sheet again in the 3–0 win over Mali. In the quarter finals, Drogba was on the score sheet once again in the 5–0 thrashing of Guinea with the last four goals coming in the final twenty minutes. The semi final was a rematch of the 2006 final against Egypt, but it was to be the end of the road for Drogba and Côte d'Ivoire, at the hands of the 2006 champions, losing 4–1 and then had no more luck in third place play-off, losing 4–2 to Ghana.
He scored 6 goals in 5 qualification games to helped the Côte d'Ivoire qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Drogba scored one goal in the 3–1 victory against Ghana in the group stage. Côte d'Ivoire reached the quarter finals but lost 2–3 to Algeria.
In March 2010, he was named as the 2009 African Footballer of the Year, his second time winning the award in his career.
On 4 June 2010, Drogba was injured in a friendly match with Japan. He received the injury in a high challenge from defender Túlio. He fractured his ulna in his right arm and had an operation the next day in the hope of making the finals. On 15 June 2010, Drogba was cleared by FIFA to play in the Côte d'Ivoire's first group game against Portugal wearing a protective cast on his broken arm. The match ended in a goalless draw at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium with Drogba coming on in the 65th minute. On 20 June 2010, Drogba became the first player from an African nation to score against Brazil in a World Cup match, scoring with a header in the 78th minute as the Côte d'Ivoire were defeated 1–3. On 25 June 2010, the Côte d'Ivoire went out of the competition despite winning 3–0 against North Korea in their final match.
Personal life
Drogba is married to Diakité Lalla, a Malian woman whom he met in Paris, and the couple have three children together. His wife is Muslim and Drogba is Catholic. His eldest son, Isaac, was born in France in 1999. He has two younger brothers who are also footballers: Joël and Freddy Drogba. Freddy, 17, is currently in the youth system of French side Le Mans. On 24 January 2007, Drogba was appointed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a Goodwill Ambassador. The UNDP were impressed with his previous charity work and believed that his high profile would help raise awareness on African issues. Drogba's charity work continued when, in late 2009, he announced he would be donating the 3 million GBP signing on fee for his endorsement of Pepsi for the construction of a hospital in his hometown of Abidjan. This work was done through Drogba's recently created "Didier Drogba Foundation" and Chelsea announced they too would donate the fee for the deal toward the Foundation's project. Drogba decided on building the hospital after a recent trip to the Ivorian capital's other hospitals, saying "...I decided the Foundation's first project should be to build and fund a hospital giving people basic healthcare and a chance just to stay alive."In October 2010, Drogba's first amateur club Levallois Sporting Club named its stadium after the striker. The French club received a percentage of the £24 million fee paid by Chelsea to Marseille in 2004, which allowed the fourth-tier club to upgrade the facility to its present gleaming levels.
Statistics
Club
Club | Season | Ligue 2 | Coupe de France | Coupe de la Ligue | Europe | Others | Total | |||||||
!App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | |||
rowspan="4" valign=top | Le Mans | 2 | 0| | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
1999–2000 French Division 2 | 1999–00 | 30 | 7| | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 7 | |
2000–01 French Division 2 | 2000–01 | 11 | 0| | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
2001–02 French Division 2 | 2001–02 | 21 | 5| | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 7 | |
align=left style="background:beige" | Total | 64 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 15 | |
Club | Season | Ligue 1 | Coupe de France | Coupe de la Ligue | Europe | Others | Total | |||||||
!App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | |||
rowspan="2" valign=top | Guingamp | 11 | 3 | 0| | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | |
2002–03 Ligue 1 | 2002–03 | 34 | 17| | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 21 | |
align=left style="background:beige" | Total | 45 | 20 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 24 | |
Club | Season | Ligue 1 | Coupe de France | Coupe de la Ligue | Europe | Others | Total | |||||||
!App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | |||
rowspan="1" valign=top | Marseille | 35 | 19 | 2| | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 32 | |
align=left style="background:beige" | Total | 35 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 32 | |
Club | Season | !colspan="2" | FA Cup | !colspan="2" | Europe | Others | Total | |||||||
!App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | |||
rowspan="8" valign=top | Chelsea | 26 | 10 | 2| | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 16 | |
2005–06 FA Premier League | 2005–06 | 29 | 12| | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 41 | 16 | |
2006–07 FA Premier League | 2006–07 | 36 | 20| | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 33 | |
2007–08 Premier League | 2007–08 | 19 | 8| | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 15 | |
2008–09 Premier League | 2008–09 | 24 | 5| | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 14 | |
2009–10 Premier League | 2009–10 | 32 | 29| | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 37 | |
2010–11 Premier League | 2010–11 | 36 | 11| | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 13 | |
2011–12 Premier League | 2011–12 | 1 | 0| | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Total | 203 | 95 | 24 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 61 | 28 | 4 | 2 | 307 | 144 | ||
Overall Total | 347 | 146 | 33 | 17 | 23 | 11 | 77 | 39 | 4 | 2 | 484 | 215 | ||
National team
National Team | Year | Friendlies | InternationalCompetition | Total | |||
!App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | !App | !Goals | ||
rowspan="11" align=center valign=center | |||||||
Overall Total | 34 | 18 | 41 | 32 | 75 | 50 | |
International goals
# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition | ||||||
'''2003 | ||||||
1 | 11 February 2003 | Châteauroux, France| | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
2 | 8 June 2003| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 1–0 | 6–1 | 2004 African Cup of Nations qualification | |
3 | 8 June 2003| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 2–0 | 6–1 | 2004 African Cup of Nations qualification | |
4 | 8 June 2003| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 3–0 | 6–1 | 2004 African Cup of Nations qualification | |
'''2004 | ||||||
5 | 31 March 2004| | Radès, Tunisia | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
6 | 31 March 2004| | Radès, Tunisia | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
7 | 28 April 2004| | Aix-les-Bains, France | 1–0 | 4–2 | Friendly | |
8 | 6 June 2004| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
9 | 20 June 2004| | Alexandria, Egypt | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
10 | 5 September 2004| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
'''2005 | ||||||
11 | 27 March 2005| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
12 | 27 March 2005| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
13 | 19 June 2005| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
14 | 19 June 2005| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
15 | 4 September 2005| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
16 | 4 September 2005| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 2–2 | 2–3 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
17 | 16 November 2005| | Geneva, Switzerland | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly | |
'''2006 | ||||||
18 | 17 January 2006| | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
19 | 21 January 2006| | Cairo, Egypt | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2006 African Nations Cup>2006 African Cup of Nations | |
20 | 24 January 2006| | Cairo, Egypt | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2006 African Nations Cup>2006 African Cup of Nations | |
21 | 7 February 2006| | Alexandria, Egypt | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2006 African Nations Cup>2006 African Cup of Nations | |
22 | 4 June 2006| | Bondoufle, France | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
23 | 4 June 2006| | Bondoufle, France | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
24 | 10 June 2006| | Hamburg, Germany | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup | |
25 | 15 November 2006| | Le Mans, France | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
'''2007 | ||||||
26 | 6 February 2007| | Rouen, France | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
27 | 3 June 2007| | Bouake, Cote d'Ivoire | 5–0 | 5–0 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification>2008 African Cup of Nations qualification | |
28 | 17 October 2007| | Innsbruck, Austria | 1–1 | 2–3 | Friendly | |
29 | 17 October 2007| | Innsbruck, Austria | 2–3 | 2–3 | Friendly | |
'''2008 | ||||||
30 | 12 January 2008| | Kuwait City, Kuwait | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
31 | 25 January 2008| | Sekondi, Ghana | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2008 African Nations Cup>2008 African Cup of Nations | |
32 | 29 January 2008| | Accra, Ghana | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2008 African Nations Cup>2008 African Cup of Nations | |
33 | 3 February 2008| | Sekondi, Ghana | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2008 African Nations Cup>2008 African Cup of Nations | |
'''2009 | ||||||
34 | 11 February 2009| | Izmir, Turkey | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly | |
35 | 29 March 2009| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
36 | 29 March 2009| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 3–0 | 5–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
37 | 14 June 2009| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
38 | 20 June 2009| | Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso | 3–1 | 3–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
39 | 5 September 2009| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
40 | 5 September 2009| | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | 4–0 | 5–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
41 | 10 October 2009| | Blantyre, Malawi>Blantyre, Malawi | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) | |
'''2010 | ||||||
42 | 4 January 2010| | Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
43 | 15 January 2010| | Cabinda (city)>Cabinda, Angola | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2010 African Nations Cup>2010 African Cup of Nations | |
44 | 30 May 2010| | Thonon-les-Bains, France | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly | |
45 | 20 June 2010| | Johannesburg, South Africa | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2010 FIFA World Cup | |
'''2011 | ||||||
46 | 27 March 2011| | Accra, Ghana | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification>2012 African Cup of Nations qualification | |
47 | 27 March 2011| | Accra, Ghana | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification>2012 African Cup of Nations qualification | |
48 | 5 June 2011| | Cotonou, Benin | 2–0 | 6–2 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification>2012 African Cup of Nations qualification | |
49 | 5 June 2011| | Cotonou, Benin | 4–2 | 6–2 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification>2012 African Cup of Nations qualification | |
50 | 10 August 2011| | Geneva, Switzerland | 4–2 | 4–3 | Friendly | |
Honours
Chelsea
Individual
References
External links
Category:1978 births Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:2006 Africa Cup of Nations players Category:2008 Africa Cup of Nations players Category:2010 Africa Cup of Nations players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:African Footballer of the Year winners Category:Chelsea F.C. players Category:Côte d'Ivoire international footballers Category:EA Guingamp players Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:Association football forwards Category:French footballers Category:French people of Ivorian descent Category:Ivorian emigrants to France Category:Ivorian Christians Category:Ivorian Roman Catholics Category:Ivorian expatriate footballers Category:Le Mans FC players Category:Ligue 1 players Category:Ligue 2 players Category:Living people Category:Naturalized citizens of France Category:Olympique de Marseille players Category:People from Abidjan Category:Premier League players Category:First Division/Premier League topscorers Category:Levallois SC players
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