Who is Didier Drogba? Everything We Know About Ivorian Football Legend

Table of Contents

Key Facts About Didier Drogba

His birth name is Didier Yves Drogba Tebily.
He is a retired Ivorian football player.
He used to play in the striking position.
He’s 44 and born on 11 March 1978.
He was raised in the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan.
He is a University of Maine alumnus.
Albert and Clotilde Drogba are his parents.
Joel and Freddy are his siblings.
He is still a Christian.
His total wealth is $90 million.

Who is Didier Drogba?

Didier Drogba is a retired Ivorian striker who played professional football. He’s 44 years old and was born on March 11, 1978. Didier Drogba is the Ivory Coast’s all-time scorer. His birth name is Didier Yves Drogba Tebily. He is Chelsea’s fourth-highest goal scorer and has scored more than any other foreign player. Chelsea FC Magazine named him their greatest player in 2012. Didier Drogba is widely regarded as one of the most iconic African athletes of all time. He was known for his speed, strength, accuracy, air ability, ball retention, and power.

Didier Drogba twice won African Footballer of the Year. He became the most expensive Ivorian player when he joined Chelsea in July 2004 for a club record 24 million euros. He captained the Ivory Coast from 2006 until 2014 before retiring. Peace and Sport appointed Didier Drogba vice president in December 2018.

Didier Drogba recently denied converting to Islam. After pictures of him praying in an Islamic way were posted online, many news stories said that the football star had become a Muslim. The former Chelsea striker explained in a Twitter post that he just went to his village in Ivory Coast to see his Muslim brothers. Images of Didier Drogba with his hands open in the Muslim prayer position went viral.

Didier Drogba Early Life

Abidjan, Ivory Coast is the place where Didier Drogba spent his childhood. He identifies himself as a Bete. His parents transferred him to France to live with his uncle, Michel Goba, when he was five years old. His uncle played football at the highest level. He was given the name “Tito” by his mother, who was inspired by former Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito.

Didier Drogba Education

Didier Drogba’s parents were strict and pushed him to succeed academically; they forbade him from playing football much, so he studied accounting at college. Further, he completed his education at the University of Maine.

Didier Drogba Career

After finishing high school, Didier Drogba transferred to the Ligue 2 team Le Mans and began his professional career as an apprentice. His first two years were plagued by injuries, and he eventually had trouble keeping up physically with the demands of training and playing. At age twenty-one, he understood that his chances of making it as a professional football player were slim unless he began to demonstrate his skills quickly. During his rookie year, he played in 30 games and scored 7 goals. Shortly after that, in 1999, he got his first professional deal and started playing on Le Mans’ first squad.

Didier Drogba departed Le Mans for 80,000 euros midway through the 2001/2002 season after Ligue 1 club Guingamp combined months of interest with a transfer offer. He played in eleven games in the second season and scored three times. The following year, he showed his appreciation for his coaches’ patience by contributing to a team effort that resulted in 17 goals and 34 appearances. Didier Drogba’s impressive goal-scoring record attracted the attention of bigger clubs, and at the end of his third season, he was transferred to Olympique de Marseille of Ligue 1 for a fee of 3.3 million euros.

Even though the team’s coaches had changed, he still managed to score 19 goals and be named the UNFP’s Player of the Year. He also netted six goals in the UEFA Cup and five in the UEFA Champions League that season. At the end of the season, Chelsea paid a club record 24 million euros to acquire his services. In July of 2004, he officially joined Chelsea for 24 million euros. Against Liverpool, he pulled a muscle that sidelined him for more than two months and ended his season.

In the 2005–2006 season opener against Arsenal in the Community Shield, he scored twice. Moreover, he sustained a number of injuries over the 2008–2009 season and had trouble getting back into shape. When he hurt his knee in August, he couldn’t play again until late November. Since Didier Drogba’s contract with Chelsea was set to expire at the end of June 2012, the club announced his departure on May 22, 2012 via a note posted to their official website. On June 19, 2012, he announced that he will be joining Shanghai Shenhua of the Chinese Super League, where he would reunite with former Chelsea teammate Nicolas Anelka. On July 22, 2012, he made his professional soccer debut for the team in a 1-1 road tie against Guangzhou R&F. He replaced Brazilian defender Moises in the second half.

Didier Drogba returned to Chelsea on a free transfer and signed a one-year contract on July 25, 2014. Didier Drogba signed an undisclosed-length designated player deal with the Major League Soccer club Montreal Impact on July 27, 2015. After that, he joined USL affiliate Phoenix Raising FC and made his debut on June 10th, 2010. His first professional appearance was on August 23, 2015, as a second-half substitute for Daily Duka in a home loss to the Philadelphia Union. He turned 40 in November of 2018 and helped Phonix win the USL Western Conference thanks to a goal he scored against Orange County. He retired a few months later but stayed with his final club to aid in their attempt to join MLS.

Didier Drogba Parents

Clotilde and Albert Drogba are Didier Drogba’s parents.

Didier Drogba Siblings

Joel and Freddy Drogba are Didier Drogba’s brothers. Didier is the oldest of the three.

Didier Drogba Ethnicity

Didier Drogba is a member of the Bété tribe, which can be found in the Ivory Coast.

Didier Drogba Religion

Didier Drogba identifies himself as a follower of Christianity. After a video that went viral gave the idea that he had converted to the Muslim faith, he recently denied having done so.

Didier Drogba Children

Didier Drogba and his wife are the proud parents of three wonderful children. Their first child together was given the name Isaac.

Didier Drogba Wife

Lalla Diakite is Didier Drogba’s wife. However, according to a post on Instagram, the couples, who have been married for twenty years, are planning to divorce. And Didier Drogba concurred, saying that he and his wife have reached an agreement with one another.

Didier Drogba Social Media

Didier Drogba’s social media accounts, including his Twitter and Instagram accounts, are managed under the handle @didierdrogba. The Facebook handle he uses is @didier.drogba.71216141.