Didier Drogba

PROFESSIONAL
2015: Acquired by the Impact as a Designated Player in a trade with the Chicago Fire in return for general and targeted allocation money, on July 27... Finalist for MLS Newcomer of the Year after concluding the season with 11 goals, including four game-winning goals, in 11 games, while adding one assist in nine starts and 870 minutes played… Led MLS with an average of 1.14 goals per 90 minutes and recorded three multi-goal games, including a hat trick in his first MLS start, against Chicago… Chosen the MLS Player of the Month in both September and October… Named MLS Player of the Week twice, four times to the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week and won the MLS AT&T Goal of the Week on two occasions… Selected six times as Videotron Mobile Player of the Game…  Started the Knockout Round game against Toronto and both Eastern Conference Semifinal games against Columbus, registering one goal.

2014/2015: Returned to Chelsea FC, in the Premier League, on July 25…  Won his fourth Premier League title, recording four goals and one assist in 28 games…. Wore the captain’s armband for his last match with the Blues on May 24 against Sunderland… Recorded two goals and one assist in five UEFA Champions League games, including three starts… Started two FA Cup games… Won his third League Cup title, scoring one goal in five games, including one start… Finished in fourth place all-time in Chelsea FC history with 164 career goals in all competitions. 

2013/2014: Won the Turkish Super Cup with Galatasaray, scoring the game-winning goal in the 99th minute of play in a 1-0 win against Fenerbahçe… Recorded 10 goals and four assists in 23 Super Lig games, including 23 starts and 1,968 minutes… Started eight UEFA Champions League games, registering two goals and three assists… Also helped Galatasaray win the Turkish Cup, registering one goal in three games during the tournament. 

2012/2013: Signed with Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, in the Chinese first division, on July 1… Registered eight goals and two assists in 11 Super League games… Joined Turkish first division club Galatasaray on January 28… Helped the club win the Super Lig championship, recording five goals and six assists in 13 games, including 11 starts… Also scored one goal in four UEFA Champions League starts.

2011/2012: Named the UEFA Champions League Final Man of the Match after scoring the game-tying goal in the 88th minute and the game-winning penalty in Chelsea’s historic 1-1 (4-3) win on penalties against Bayern Munich on May 19…  Recorded six goals and two assists in eight games throughout the tournament, including seven starts… Registered five goals and one assist in 24 Premier League games… Also won his fourth FA Cup, scoring twice in three games, including the game-winning goal in the final against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.

2010/2011: Appeared in the Community Shield game against Manchester United on August 8… Finished second on Chelsea FC with 11 goals, adding 15 assists, in 36 Premier League games, including 30 starts and 2,785 minutes played… Recorded a hat-trick against West Bromwich Albion on August 14… Registered two goals and three assists in seven UEFA Champions League games, including five starts… Tallied two assists in two FA Cup starts.

2009/2010: Named to the Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year for the second time of his career and Chelsea FC’s Player of the Year… Finished the year with 37 goals and 16 assists in 44 games, including 36 starts and 3,878 minutes played in all competitions… Scored in a penalty shoot-out to help Chelsea win the Community Shield against Manchester United… Won his second career Premier League Golden Boot with 29 goals in 32 games, setting a new club record… Also recorded 13 assists… Scored his 100th career goal with Chelsea FC on September 26 against Wigan… Registered eight multi-goal games, including a hat-trick in the club’s final game of the season, against Wigan on May 9… Scored three goals in five UEFA Champions League starts… Won his third career FA Cup after scoring the game-winning goal in the final against Portsmouth FC, finishing the tournament with three goals and two assists in four starts… Also scored two goals in two League Cup games.

2008/2009: Recorded five goals and four assists in 24 Premier League games, including 15 starts and 1,547 minutes played… Helped Chelsea reach the UEFA Champions League semifinal against FC Barcelona, finishing the tournament tied for fifth with five goals, while adding one assist in 10 games, seven as a starter… Won his second FA Cup, scoring three goals in six games, including five starts… Also scored one goal in two League Cup starts.

2007/2008: Registered eight goals and six assists in 19 Premier League games, including 17 starts and 1,528 minutes played… Helped Chelsea reach the UEFA Champions League Final against Manchester United, finishing the tournament tied for second with six goals, while adding one assist in 11 starts… Appeared in one FA Cup game… Also scored one goal in the League Cup Final against Tottenham.

2006/2007: Named to the UEFA Team of the Year, to the FIFA/FIFPro World XI and to the Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year… Finished the year with 33 goals and 12 assists in 60 games, including 54 starts, and 4,886 minutes played in all competitions… Appeared in the Community Shield game against Liverpool… Won his first career Premier League Golden Boot with 20 goals in 36 games, including 32 starts and 2,931 minutes played… Also recorded four assists… Registered three multi-goal games, including a hat-trick against Watford on November 11… Helped Chelsea reach the UEFA Champions League semifinal against Liverpool, finishing the tournament tied for second with six goals while adding three assists in 12 starts… Won his first career FA Cup, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against Manchester United and finishing the tournament with three goals and two assists in six starts… Also won his second career League Cup, receiving the Alan Hardaker Trophy awarded to the man of the match after scoring a brace in a 2-1 win against Arsenal in the final… Finished the tournament with four goals and two assists in five games, three as a starter.
  
2005/2006: Named the Community Shield Man of the Match after scoring a brace in a 2-1 win against Arsenal on August 7… Helped Chelsea FC win its second consecutive Premier League title… Finished tied for 10th in the league with 12 goals, adding 14 assists in 29 games, including 20 starts and 1,977 minutes played… Recorded two multi-goal games… Registered one goal and one assist in seven UEFA Champions League games, including five starts… Scored one goal in three FA Cup games… Also appeared in one League Cup game.

2004/2005: Transferred from Olympique de Marseille to Premier League club Chelsea FC for 37 million euros on July 20… Was a key element of Chelsea FC’s first-ever Premier League title… Recorded 10 goals and five assists in 26 games, including 18 starts and 1,620 minutes played… Scored his first career goal for Chelsea FC on August 24 against Crystal Palace… Registered two multi-goal games… Finished tied for seventh with five goals in nine UEFA Champions League games, adding one assist… Recorded one assist in two FA Cup games… Won his first career League Cup title, tallying one goal and one assist in four games, including three starts.

2003/2004: Transferred from EA Guingamp to Olympique de Marseille for six million euros in July… Named Ligue 1 Player of the Year, selected to the Ligue 1 Team of the Year and won the Ligue 1 Goal of the Year for his volley against Montpellier HSC on February 4… Recorded 30 goals in 51 games, including 44 starts and 3,865 minutes, all competitions... Finished third in Ligue 1 with 19 goals in 35 games, including 30 starts and 2,603 minutes played… Appeared in two UEFA Champions League qualifying games and scored five goals in six group stage games… Helped Marseille reach the UEFA Cup final against Valencia CF, finishing tied for second in the tournament with six goals in eight games, including seven starts. 

2002/2003: Finished third in Ligue 1 with 17 goals in 34 games in his second season with EA Guingamp, including 26 starts and 2,338 minutes played… Recorded four multi-goal games.

2001/2002: Started the season with Le Mans in Ligue 2, scoring five goals in 21 games… Transferred to Ligue 1 club EA Guingamp in January, recording three goals in 11 games.

2000/2001: Played 11 games in Ligue 2 and added one goal in three Coupe nationale games in his third season with Le Mans.

1999/2000: Scored seven goals in 30 games and played 1,454 minutes with Le Mans, in the French second division, while playing two Coupe de la Ligue games.

1998/1999: Made his professional debut with French club Le Mans, in Ligue 2, appearing in two games.

INTERNATIONAL
Played 105 games with the Ivory Coast National Team between 2002 and 2014… Concluded his career as the Elephants’ all-time top scorer with 65 goals, while also finishing in third place for most appearances… As captain of the team, took part in three FIFA World Cups (2006, 2010 & 2014) and five Africa Cup of Nations tournaments… Announced his retirement from international soccer on August 8, 2014, after playing his final game on June 24 against Greece at the FIFA World Cup… Named the African Footballer of the Year in 2006 and 2009, and the Ivory Coast Player of the Year in 2006, 2007 and 2012.

ACADEMY
Spent time with the academies of SC Abbeville, Vannes OC, Levallois SC and Le Mans.

PERSONAL
Son of Albert and Clotilde Drogba… Eldest of a family of six… His brothers Joël and Freddy also played professional soccer… His cousin, Olivier Tébily, played with Birmingham City, in the Premier League, with Toronto FC, in MLS, and with the Ivory Coast national team… President of the Didier Drogba Foundation, created in 2007, which aims to support the Ivorian people and Africa in the field of health and education… Goodwill Ambassador for the fight against poverty with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 2007… Commissioner of the Commission on Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation (CDVR) in Ivory Coast, set up in 2011 following the country’s post-election crisis to bring peace to all hearts… Left his country at the age of 5 for France, where he joined his uncle Michel Goba… Enjoys basketball.