4. Didier Drogba
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Didier Yves Drogba Tebily was born on the 11th of March 1978 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. His early years were spent at his uncle’s house in France (Michel Goba, also a pro footballer), where he played for 4 different youth teams without really establishing himself as a top prospect despite impressing in spurts. Finally aged 21, he joined the Le Mans senior side and scored 12 goals in 64 matches in a difficult spell. Even though, Guingamp saw his talent and signed him for £80,000. It proved to be a wise acquisition as he combined well with future Chelsea teammate Florent Malouda to score 20 goals in 45 matches for his new team as they finished 7th (higher than ever) in the French Ligue 1. That kind of form led to Olympique de Marseille signing him for £3.3 million in 2003.
He only spent one season there, but his 19 goals made him an instant hit (Player & Goal of the Year) and he was signed for very big money (£24million – a club record) by Jose Mourinho & Chelsea FC. There, he scored 9 goals in 9 cup finals to win 9 trophies, cementing his place as one of its greatest players. He won 4 league titles and 3 league cups over two spells, 4 FA Cups and struck that unforgettable 88th minute goal against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena to finally win the UEFA Champions League. He became their 4th all-time highest goalscorer, and the highest foreign one. He won Chelsea Player of the Year in 2010, Player’s Player of the Year in 2007 and the Premier League Golden Boot twice. He’s the first African player to score 100 goals in the Premier League, as well as the first man to score in 4 different FA Cup finals. He eventually left a hero (voted their greatest every player in 2012), signing for Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua on the 22nd May 2012. He stayed just one season there, netting 8 goals in 11 matches. Turkey came next for him, where his 20 goals in 53 matches earned him the 2012-2012 Super Lig title and the 2013/2014 Turkish Cup (which he also scored in). He finally moved to the MLS, where he’s hit 18 goals in 23 matches for Montreal Impact.
Ivory Coast’s record goalscorer with 63 goals, he’s represented his country 104 times, winning the Ivorian Player of the Year award 3 times and the African Footballer of the Year twice. He made his debut in 2002 and captained the team for 8 years, until his retirement in 2014. He represented his national side at 2 World Cups and captained them to 2 Africa Cup of Nations. His immense generosity has led to him being known around the globe for the Didier Drogba Foundation, and in his country for playing a major part in a ceasefire after 5 years of civil war. Drogba’s first club Levallois renamed their new stadium Stade Didier Drogba in his honour – as well as a hospital in Abidjan that he helped fund with £3million from his Pepsi endorsement fee. The man has become a modern day great, and a icon for footballers everywhere.
