Didier Drogba

Personal information
Full name	Didier Yves Drogba Tébily
Date of birth	(1978-03-11) 11 March 1978 (age 34)
Place of birth	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2 1⁄2 in)[1][2]
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Free Agent
Number	11
Youth career
1996–1997	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)
National team‡
2002–	Côte d'Ivoire	84	(54)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 8 February 2012

Didier Yves Drogba Tébily^[3] (French pronunciation: [didje dʁɔɡba]; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a centre forward for Chelsea. He is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team (Ivory Coast). He has scored more goals for Chelsea than any other foreign player and is currently Chelsea's fourth highest goal scorer of all time. His key attributes include his physical strength, ability in the air, and his ability to retain possession of the ball.^[4]

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.

In the summer of 2004 Drogba moved to Chelsea for a club record £24 million fee, making him the most expensive Ivorian player in history. In his debut season he helped the club win their first league title in 50 years, as well as the League Cup, and scored in the final. A year later he won another Premier League title. In 2006–07 Drogba scored 33 goals, won the Premier League Golden Boot and scored the winning goals in both the League Cup and FA Cup finals. He won the FA Cup for a second time in 2009, scoring the equalizer in the final, and in 2009–10 was instrumental in Chelsea clinching their first double, winning his second Golden Boot and scoring the only goal in the 2010 FA Cup Final. In March 2012, Drogba scored his 100th Premier League goal, the first African player to reach the milestone.^[5] He then became the only player in history to score in four separate FA Cup finals, when he scored in Chelsea's win over Liverpool in the 2012 final.^[6] Drogba made his last appearance for Chelsea in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final, in which he scored an 88th minute equaliser and then the winning penalty in the deciding shoot-out.^[7]

A Cote D'Ivoire international since 2002, Drogba has captained the national team since 2006. He led the Côte d'Ivoire to the 2006 World Cup, their first appearance in the tournament, and also scored their first goal. He was named African Footballer of the Year for 2006. Drogba was a part of the Côte d'Ivoire sides which reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2012, but were beaten on penalties on both occasions. As of 2012, he is the Cote D'Ivoire's all-time top scorer.

Drogba is credited with playing a vital role in bringing peace to his country.^[8] 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.^[9] In September 2011, Drogba joined the Truth, Reconciliation and Dialogue Commission as a representative to help return peace to his home nation.^[10] His involvement in the peace process led to Drogba being named as one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine for 2010.^[11]

Early life[link]

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.^[12] 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.^[13] 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.^[14] 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.^[15]

Club career[link]

Le Mans (1997–2002)[link]

When Drogba finished school he switched cities to study accountancy at university 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.^[13] 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.^[16]

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.^[17] 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".^[13] 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.^[18]

Guingamp (2002–2003)[link]

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.^[13] 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.^[19] However, the next season he rewarded his coaches' patience, scoring 17 goals in 34 appearances and helping Guingamp finish seventh, a record league finish.^[13] 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.^[17] 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.^[16]

Marseille (2003–2004)[link]

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 National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Player of the Year award. 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.^[17] 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.^[20] Drogba remains a club legend in Marseille, despite playing only one season for the club.

Chelsea (2004–2012)[link]

Signing for Chelsea in July 2004 for £24 million,^[21] Drogba scored in his third game for the club with a header against Crystal Palace.^[22] His season was interrupted when he pulled a stomach muscle against Liverpool which kept him out of action for over two months.^[23] Chelsea won the Premiership, only their second English top-flight championship and their first in 50 years,^[24] 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.^[25]

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.^[26] This occurred just a week after a similar incident against Fulham where the goal was disallowed.^[27] 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.^[28]

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.^[29] 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.^[30]

2006–07[link]

Drogba out on tour with Chelsea in 2007

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.^[31] 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.^[32] 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.^[33] 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.^[34]

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.^[35]

2007–08[link]

Drogba training

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".^[36] 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".^[37] 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,^[38] he later admitted he regretted this and was 100% committed to Chelsea.^[37] 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.

Drogba and Arsenal striker Robin van Persie in 2008.

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.^[39] Despite media speculation, Drogba's yellow card for the clash was deemed adequate punishment by the FA.^[40]

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.^[41]

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.^[42] 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.^[43][44] 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.^[45] 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.^[46]

2008–09[link]

Drogba playing for Chelsea in 2008.

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.^[47][48] 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.^[49][50] Drogba scored his second goal of the season in a 2–1 victory against CFR Cluj in the UEFA Champions League,^[51] while his first Premier League goal of the season came in a 2–0 win against West Bromwich Albion in late December 2008.^[52] 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.^[53]

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.^[54][55] 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.^[56] 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"^[57] 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.^[58] In the 2009 FA Cup Final he scored Chelsea's first and equalising goal as they went on to win 2–1.^[59] 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.^[60]

2009–10[link]

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.^[61] He added a fifth at home against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on 20 September.^[62] 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.^[63] 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.

Drogba with fans in September 2010

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.^[64] 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.^[65] 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.^[66]

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.^[67] 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.^[68]

The following week, Drogba scored the only goal of the 2010 FA Cup Final against Portsmouth from a free-kick, keeping up his record of having scored in all six English cup finals (FA Cup and Carling Cup) in which he has played.

2010–11[link]

Drogba playing for Chelsea against Newcastle United, 28 November 2010

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.^[69] 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.^[70] In Chelsea's next game against Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium, Drogba made three assists in another 6–0 win.^[71] 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.^[72] 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.^[73][74]

2011–12[link]

Drogba holding aloft the European Cup following Chelsea's penalty shootout victory over Bayern Munich

While playing against Norwich City on 27 August 2011, Drogba suffered a concussion in a collision with Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy.^[75] After missing two games, Drogba made his return to the Chelsea squad on 24 September against Swansea City. Drogba went on scoring his first goal of the season in a 4–1 win.^[76] Drogba received a red card on 23 October against Queens Park Rangers, Chelsea ended up losing 1–0.^[77] On 29 November, Drogba rejected a new deal with Chelsea and is set to sign for the highest bidder.^[78] On 31 December 2011, Drogba scored his 150th goal for Chelsea against Aston Villa, putting him level with Peter Osgood and Roy Bentley in terms of the club's top scorers of all time. Even though, Chelsea was leading with the penalty scored by Drobga, the game ended in a 3–1 loss for Chelsea.^[79]

Drogba scored his 99th Premier League goal for Chelsea on 25 February 2012, in a 3–0 win over Bolton Wanderers.^[80] It was also his 151st goal for Chelsea, moving him up to 4th among the club's all-time goalscorers, ahead of Roy Bentley and Peter Osgood.^[81] Drogba scored his 100th Premier League goal for Chelsea on 10 March 2012, in a 1–0 win over Stoke City. He is the first African player to reach that landmark.^[82]

He scored his seventh Wembley goal in fantastic style against London rivals Tottenham on 15 April, hammering the ball past former teammate Carlo Cudicini, as Chelsea ran out 5–1 winners and secured a place in the FA Cup Final against Liverpool.^[83] Three days later, he scored a vital goal as Chelsea beat Barcelona 1–0 at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Semi-Final clash.^[84] Drogba became the first player to score in four different FA Cup Finals, as he netted the winner in Chelsea's 2–1 triumph over Liverpool on 5 May.^[85]

In the Champions League final on 19 May 2012, Drogba scored the equaliser from Juan Mata's corner in the 88th minute, taking Chelsea into extra time and then penalties. He also scored the winning penalty in the 4–3 penalty-shootout and led Chelsea to the victory over Bayern Munich.^[86] Drogba's headed effort marked his ninth goal in nine cup final appearances for Chelsea, Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola spoke after the match about Drogba's ability in big games: "In all their very important matches he has put a stamp on it."^[87]

On 22 May 2012, Chelsea released a note on their official website announcing that Drogba "will be leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of June" 2012.^[88][89]

International career[link]

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.^[90]

In March 2010, he was named as the 2009 African Footballer of the Year, his second time winning the award in his career.^[91]

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.^[92] 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.^[93] The match ended in a goalless draw at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium with Drogba coming on in the 65th minute.^[94] 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.^[95] On 25 June 2010, the Côte d'Ivoire went out of the competition despite winning 3–0 against North Korea in their final match.^[96]

In the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, Côte d'Ivoire were drawn in a group with Sudan, Angola and Burkina Faso. Drogba scored the first goal for his team in the tournament against Sudan and his only goal in the group stage. In the quarter finals, Drogba scored twice in the 3–0 win over Equatorial Guinea. He didn't score in the semi-final in which Côte d'Ivoire has beaten Mali 1–0. In the final against Zambia, Drogba missed a penalty kick in the last 15 minutes of the game, which ended by their loss for the second time by penalty shootout.^[97]

Personal life[link]

Drogba is married to Diakité Lalla, a Malian woman whom he met in Paris, and the couple have three children together. His eldest son, Isaac, was born in France in 1999.^[13] Drogba has two younger brothers who are also footballers: Joël and Freddy Drogba. Freddy, 19, is currently in the youth system of French Ligue 1 side Dijon.^{[98][99][100]} 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.^[101] Drogba's charity work continued when, in late 2009, he announced he would be donating the £3 million 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."^[102]

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.^[103]

Drogba makes a cameo appearance in Julia Channel's music video Forever In A Day.^[104]

Statistics[link]

Club[link]

As of 14 March 2012.^[105]

International[link]

International goals[link]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
2003
1	11 February 2003	Châteauroux, France	Cameroon	2–0	3–0	Friendly
2	8 June 2003	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Burundi	1–0	6–1	2004 African Cup of Nations qualification
3	8 June 2003	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Burundi	2–0	6–1	2004 African Cup of Nations qualification
4	8 June 2003	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Burundi	3–0	6–1	2004 African Cup of Nations qualification
2004
5	31 March 2004	Radès, Tunisia	Tunisia	1–0	2–0	Friendly
6	31 March 2004	Radès, Tunisia	Tunisia	2–0	2–0	Friendly
7	28 April 2004	Aix-les-Bains, France	Guinea	1–0	4–2	Friendly
8	6 June 2004	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Libya	2–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
9	20 June 2004	Alexandria, Egypt	Egypt	2–1	2–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
10	5 September 2004	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Sudan	1–0	5–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
2005
11	27 March 2005	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Benin	1–1	2–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
12	27 March 2005	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Benin	2–1	2–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
13	19 June 2005	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Egypt	1–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
14	19 June 2005	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Egypt	2–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
15	4 September 2005	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Cameroon	1–1	2–3	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
16	4 September 2005	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Cameroon	2–2	2–3	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
17	16 November 2005	Geneva, Switzerland	Italy	1–1	1–1	Friendly
2006
18	17 January 2006	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	Jordan	1–0	2–0	Friendly
19	21 January 2006	Cairo, Egypt	Morocco	1–0	1–0	2006 African Cup of Nations
20	24 January 2006	Cairo, Egypt	Libya	1–0	1–0	2006 African Cup of Nations
21	7 February 2006	Alexandria, Egypt	Nigeria	1–0	1–0	2006 African Cup of Nations
22	4 June 2006	Bondoufle, France	Slovenia	1–0	3–0	Friendly
23	4 June 2006	Bondoufle, France	Slovenia	2–0	3–0	Friendly
24	10 June 2006	Hamburg, Germany	Argentina	1–2	1–2	2006 FIFA World Cup
25	15 November 2006	Le Mans, France	Sweden	1–0	1–0	Friendly
2007
26	6 February 2007	Rouen, France	Guinea	1–0	1–0	Friendly
27	3 June 2007	Bouake, Côte d'Ivoire	Madagascar	5–0	5–0	2008 African Cup of Nations qualification
28	17 October 2007	Innsbruck, Austria	Austria	1–1	2–3	Friendly
29	17 October 2007	Innsbruck, Austria	Austria	2–3	2–3	Friendly
2008
30	12 January 2008	Kuwait City, Kuwait	Kuwait	2–0	2–0	Friendly
31	25 January 2008	Sekondi, Ghana	Benin	1–0	4–1	2008 African Cup of Nations
32	29 January 2008	Accra, Ghana	Mali	1–0	3–0	2008 African Cup of Nations
33	3 February 2008	Sekondi, Ghana	Guinea	2–0	5–0	2008 African Cup of Nations
2009
34	11 February 2009	Izmir, Turkey	Turkey	1–1	1–1	Friendly
35	29 March 2009	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	22x20px Malawi	2–0	5–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
36	29 March 2009	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	22x20px Malawi	3–0	5–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
37	14 June 2009	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Cameroon	1–0	2–1	Friendly
38	20 June 2009	Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso	Burkina Faso	3–1	3–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
39	5 September 2009	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Burkina Faso	2–0	5–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
40	5 September 2009	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Burkina Faso	4–0	5–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
41	10 October 2009	Blantyre, Malawi	22x20px Malawi	1–1	1–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
2010
42	4 January 2010	Dar es Salaam, Tanzania	Tanzania	1–0	1–0	Friendly
43	15 January 2010	Cabinda, Angola	Ghana	3–0	3–1	2010 African Cup of Nations
44	30 May 2010	Thonon-les-Bains, France	Paraguay	1–0	2–2	Friendly
45	20 June 2010	Johannesburg, South Africa	Brazil	1–3	1–3	2010 FIFA World Cup
2011
46	27 March 2011	Accra, Ghana	Benin	1–1	2–1	2012 African Cup of Nations qualification
47	27 March 2011	Accra, Ghana	Benin	2–1	2–1	2012 African Cup of Nations qualification
48	5 June 2011	Cotonou, Benin	Benin	2–0	6–2	2012 African Cup of Nations qualification
49	5 June 2011	Cotonou, Benin	Benin	4–2	6–2	2012 African Cup of Nations qualification
50	10 August 2011	Geneva, Switzerland	Israel	4–2	4–3	Friendly
2012
51	13 January 2012	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	Tunisia	2–0	2–0	Friendly
52	22 January 2012	Malabo, Equatorial Guinea	Sudan	1–0	1–0	2012 African Cup of Nations
53	4 February 2012	Malabo, Equatorial Guinea	Equatorial Guinea	1–0	1–0	2012 African Cup of Nations
54	4 February 2012	Malabo, Equatorial Guinea	Equatorial Guinea	2–0	3–0	2012 African Cup of Nations