Didier Drogba Biography

Written By rohman on Sunday, February 5, 2012 | 12:39 AM

Didier Drogba Biography

Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (born 11 March 1978 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire) is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position.He currently plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League. As a young child Drogba moved to France, living with various family members. 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 but it was not until the 2002–03 season that he realised 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 and his prolific ways continued, finishing as the third highest scorer in the league with 19 goals and making it to the 2004 UEFA Cup Final. Drogba moved to Chelsea the following season for a record breaking fee of £24 million and helped the club win their first ever Premier League title. In addition, Drogba scored decisive goals in the 2005 FA Community Shield and League Cup Final. 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 goal in the 2007 FA Cup Final. Away from the pitch, Drogba is known for his charity work and was appointed by the United Nations Development Programme as a Goodwill Ambassador in 2007. He has three children with his wife Alla, a Malian.