Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an
Ivorian footballer who plays in the
centre forward position. He currently plays for
Chelsea in the
Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and
all-time top scorer of the
Côte d'Ivoire national football team. He has scored more goals for Chelsea than any other foreign player and is currently Chelsea's
sixth highest goal scorer of all time. His key attributes include his physical strength, ability in the air, and his power to retain possession of the ball.
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......
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