"League and six in the UEFA Cup. At the end of the season, he was bought by Chelsea as the club's then record signing for £24 million. His shirt from his only season at Marseille is also framed in the basilica of Marseille, Notre-Dame de la Garde, which he presented to the church before the 2004 UEFA Cup Final. Signing for Chelsea in July 2004 for £24 million, Drogba scored in his third game for the club with a header against Crystal Palace. His season was interrupted when he pulled a stomach muscle against Liverpool which kept him out of"
"shirt number 3 while the shirt number 5 will be given to 19-year-old French defender Kurt Zouma. Chelsea Didier Drogba re-signed for Chelsea from Galatasaray for free on a one-year deal. Drogba's last kick for the Blues was the final penalty in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final, which won the Champions League for Chelsea for the first time. In the new season, Drogba will wear the number 15 shirt; his former number 11 shirt had been given to Oscar. Drogba, however, reclaimed his former number 11 after Oscar was handed number 8, last worn by Frank Lampard. Romelu Lukaku"
"as Marko Marin, who was signed during the previous season, Chelsea made their first signing of the new campaign on 4 June, signing Belgian international winger Eden Hazard from Lille for an undisclosed fee rumoured to be £32 million. Three days later, the club lost a bid to purchase nearby Battersea Power Station which they considered converting to a stadium and make it their new home ground. Roberto Di Matteo, who had won the Champions League in the previous season as interim manager, was given a two-year contract as first-team manager on 13 June. On 20 June, Didier Drogba, who"
"Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at Chelsea, for whom he has scored more goals than any other foreign player and is currently the club's fourth highest goal scorer of all time. He was named African Footballer of the Year twice, winning the accolade in 2006 and 2009. After playing in youth teams, Drogba made his professional debut aged 18 for Ligue"
"Didier Drogba and decided to recall Crespo from A.C. Milan, convincing him that he had a future in England. Crespo made his first return appearance in a 2–1 FA Community Shield win over Arsenal. He scored his first league goal of 2005 against newly promoted Wigan Athletic in the 93rd minute of Chelsea's season opener in a 1–0 win, with a left foot curler into the top corner from 25 yards. The 2005–06 league title was Crespo's first league title victory in European football. Though he scored 13 goals in all competitions and won the 2005–06 Premier League, Crespo requested"
"6 months with Shanghai Shenhua in China, and one and a half seasons with Turkish club Galatasaray where he scored the winning goal in the final of the 2013 Turkish Super Cup, Drogba returned to Chelsea in July 2014. With a career record of scoring 10 goals in 10 finals winning 10 trophies at club level, Drogba has been referred to as the ""ultimate big game player."" He joined Canadian club Montreal Impact in 2015 as a Designated Player and played 41 matches over two seasons, scoring 23 goals. Drogba became a player–owner for Phoenix Rising of the United Soccer"
"but no fine or bans were handed down to the supporters or the club. On 11 August, he scored the only goal in the 2013 Turkish Super Cup against the same opponents, and he scored two second-half goals in a 2–1 away win against fellow city rivals Beşiktaş on 22 September, although the match was abandoned due to hooliganism from fans of the opponents. On 25 July 2014, Chelsea announced on their official website that Drogba completed his return to the club on a free transfer, and signed a one-year contract. Speaking on his move back to the club, Drogba"
"Chelsea – first to ensure the club's survival, and then to improve their stadium to incorporate modern sports facilities for the benefit of the local community. They renamed the new stadium Stade Didier Drogba in his honour. Chelsea Galatasaray Pheonix Rising Individual Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at Chelsea, for whom he has scored more goals than any other foreign player"
"Chelsea's final game of the season against Sunderland would be his last as a Chelsea player. He started the game as captain and was substituted with injury after half an hour, being carried off by his teammates in an eventual 3–1 win. On 27 July 2015, Drogba signed a Designated Player contract with Major League Soccer side Montreal Impact, believed to be 18 months in length. On 23 August, he made his debut in a 0–1 home loss against the Philadelphia Union, coming on as a substitute for Dilly Duka in the second half. On 5 September, Drogba scored a"
"ability in big games: ""In all their very important matches he has put a stamp on it."" In November 2012 Drogba was named Chelsea's greatest ever player in a poll of 20,000 fans conducted by Chelsea Magazine. On 22 May 2012, Chelsea released a note on their official website announcing that Drogba would leave the club when his contract expired at the end of June 2012. On 19 June 2012, Drogba declared he would be joining Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua, linking up with his former Chelsea teammate Nicolas Anelka. It was reported that he signed a two-and-a-half-year deal"
"scored his first goal in his second spell at Stamford Bridge on 21 October, converting a penalty kick in a 6–0 win over Maribor in the Champions League. Five days later, with Chelsea's attack limited by injuries to Diego Costa and Loïc Rémy, Drogba started against Manchester United at Old Trafford, making his 350th appearance for the club. Early in the second-half, he headed in the first Premier League goal of his second spell although Robin van Persie equalised in added time. He scored his 50th goal in European football against Schalke 04. On 24 May 2015, Drogba announced that"
"Hazard. On 15 August, however, it was announced that Drogba had been given back the number 11 shirt he previously wore at the club, with its previous occupant Oscar taking over the number 8 jersey vacated by Frank Lampard. Drogba made his Premier League return for Chelsea in a 3–1 win away to Burnley, replacing winger Eden Hazard in the 84th minute at Turf Moor on 18 August 2014. On 17 September he made the first start of his second spell, in a 1–1 home draw against Schalke 04 in Chelsea's first game of the Champions League group stage. He"
"City where he lasted the whole 90 minutes and scored his fourth Premier League goal of the season when he kicked home a penalty after Nicolas Anelka was brought down by Thomas Sørensen inside the box. On 7 November 2010, Drogba missed the first half of Chelsea's 2–0 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield. It was later revealed that he had been suffering from malaria for at least a month. He had first complained of feeling unwell before the October 2010 international break but the illness was only diagnosed on 8 November 2010. Having diagnosed the problem, Chelsea insisted that he"
"decided to remain with the Blues under new coach Carlo Ancelotti and signed a new contract. Drogba began the 2009–10 season in fine form for Chelsea, netting a penalty during a shoot-out in the Community Shield over Manchester United, before scoring twice in a 2–1 victory over Hull City. Drogba earned himself an assist when he was fouled in the penalty box to give Chelsea a penalty, which Frank Lampard converted, in a 3–1 victory over Sunderland. In Chelsea's third game of the season against West-London rivals Fulham, Drogba scored his third goal of the season. Drogba scored his fourth"
"Joël Drogba Joël Drogba (born 17 May 1985 in Abidjan) is an Ivorian footballer, who plays as a striker. Drogba has previously played for French side Metz, and Le Mans. He had trials with German team St. Pauli, Vietnamese club Bình Dương F.C. and Croatian club NK Zagreb. In March 2007, he had a trial with English League 1 club Leyton Orient. However, the club declined to offer the young striker a professional contract. He returned to Zagreb but no contract was offered, and then joined Metalurg Donetsk in 2007, but left the following year and has been without a"
"club in 2006, Drogba reportedly pointed out several favoured clubs in the interview, identifying Barcelona, Real Madrid, Milan or Internazionale as possible future destinations, he later admitted he regretted this and was 100% committed to Chelsea. Drogba made it up to the fans by scoring in Chelsea's 2–0 victory over Middlesbrough on 20 October 2007, against Schalke 04 in the Champions League four days later, and two goals against Manchester City. In December 2007, Drogba was voted fourth (after Kaká, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo) for the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year. Drogba continued scoring goals but suffered"
"the Community Shield, one in the Champions League and one in the FA Cup. After the departure of Damien Duff to Newcastle United, Drogba switched from the number 15 shirt he had worn for Chelsea since 2004 to the number 11 shirt vacated by Duff. The season was a personal success for Drogba as he hit 33 goals in all competitions (more than his tally in the previous two seasons combined), including 20 in the Premier League to win the Golden Boot. In doing so, he became the first Chelsea player since Kerry Dixon in 1984–85 to reach 30 goals"
"goals scored at the new Wembley Stadium with eight. In the Champions League final on 19 May 2012, Drogba scored the equaliser from Juan Mata's corner in the 88th minute, taking Chelsea into extra time and then penalties. He also scored the winning penalty in the 4–3 penalty shootout that led Chelsea to the victory over Bayern Munich. Sir Alex Ferguson remarked: ""As far as I was concerned, he [Drogba] won the Champions League for Chelsea."" Drogba's headed effort marked his ninth goal in nine cup final appearances for Chelsea, Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola spoke after the match about Drogba's"
"injured Didier Drogba after half an hour against Sunderland. Seven minutes later, he scored his 20th goal of the league campaign, an equalising penalty in an eventual 3–1 home win. With reports speculating that Costa wanting to leave Chelsea, Costa affirmed on 2 June 2015 after Chelsea's post-season tour that he had no desire to leave London, saying, ""It's always a bit more difficult in the first season for adaptation, but I have no reason to leave this place, I love it, the fans love me, and I want to stay. It’s really good to come in the first season"
"Drogba scored his 150th goal for Chelsea against Aston Villa, putting him level with Peter Osgood and Roy Bentley in terms of the club's top scorers of all time. Even though, Chelsea was leading with the penalty scored by Drobga, the game ended in a 3–1 loss for Chelsea. Drogba scored his 99th Premier League goal for Chelsea on 25 February 2012, in a 3–0 win over Bolton Wanderers. Drogba scored his 100th Premier League goal for Chelsea on 10 March 2012, in a 1–0 win over Stoke City. He is the first African player to reach that landmark. Drogba"
"in attendance at, their first postseason match at D.C. United, a 4–2 victory on 27 October. Drogba did not nearly experience the same level of success in his second regular season compared to the first, scoring only 10 goals while appearing in only 22 games. On 12 April 2017, after nearly four months as a free agent and declining a move to Corinthians, Drogba signed for USL side Phoenix Rising FC. He also became an owner of the club, making him the very first player-owner in football history. He made his debut for the club on 10 June 2017, and"
"a 5–0 away victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Crespo made 31 appearances (including 19 in the league) in all competitions, scoring 12 goals. After José Mourinho took over as Chelsea manager for the 2004–05 season, Crespo became surplus to Chelsea's plans following the arrival of Didier Drogba and was loaned to A.C. Milan, as requested by then-manager Carlo Ancelotti. He scored a total of ten league goals, and scored twice in the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final in a defeat to Liverpool. After Chelsea's failed attempts to land a big-name striker during the summer of 2005, Mourinho needed competition for striker"
"Drogba is usually ranked among the three greatest African strikers, alongside George Weah and Samuel Eto'o. Drogba's diverse and robust playing style has seen him frequently cited as the toughest striker numerous defenders have had to face, these include Gerard Piqué, Carles Puyol, Chris Smalling, Nemanja Vidić, and Laurent Koscielny. Drogba is married to Diakité Lalla, a Malian woman whom he met in Paris, and the couple have three children together. His eldest son, Isaac, was born in France in 1999, but grew up in England and has played in the Chelsea academy system. Isaac Drogba signed for French club"
"would make a full recovery within days. While playing against Norwich City on 27 August 2011, Drogba suffered a concussion in a collision with Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy. After missing two games, Drogba made his return to the Chelsea squad on 24 September against Swansea City. Drogba went on scoring his first goal of the season in a 4–1 win. Drogba received a red card on 23 October against Queens Park Rangers, Chelsea ended up losing 1–0. On 29 November, Drogba rejected a new deal with Chelsea and was set to sign for the highest bidder. On 31 December 2011,"
"for Drogba as he expressed his doubts about the departure of manager José Mourinho. He was reportedly in tears when Mourinho told him he was leaving the club, and said ""Mourinho's departure destroys a certain familiarity we had at the club. Many of us used to play first and foremost for the manager. Now we need to forget those feelings and find another source of motivation"". Following these claims, Drogba told ""France Football Magazine"" ""I want to leave Chelsea. Something is broken with Chelsea, The damage is big in the dressing room"". Despite having signed a four-year contract with the"
"the top teams. The end result was seventh, missing out even on UEFA Cup qualification, in spite of having the French player of the season in Didier Drogba in the team. The Ivorian striker netted 19 league goals and was instrumental to l'OM's fortunes in Europe, and following the season he was sold to Chelsea, where he went on to become top scorer in the Premier League twice. - RSSSF France 2003/04 2003–04 Olympique de Marseille season Olympique de Marseille returned to the UEFA Champions League for the first time in four years, and in spite of going out in"
"four seasons, Chelsea improved their points total season on season. The core of the Chelsea team which won two Premier League titles under Mourinho, including John Terry, William Gallas, Wayne Bridge, Claude Makélélé and Frank Lampard were all brought to Chelsea or nurtured by Ranieri. During his final months at Chelsea, Ranieri also identified Didier Drogba and Arjen Robben as players Chelsea should sign, both of whom went on to become key players at the club. Ranieri published in September 2004 a book named ""Proud Man Walking"" chronicling his last year at Chelsea. All proceeds went to London's Great Ormond"
"completed a £5.5m transfer to Lyon and continued his good form scoring 6 goals and helping Lyon win the French League. He remained at Lyon for the next two season winning two more League Championships. He had his most productive season in 2003–04 as he scored 16 league goals helping Lyon to the Ligue 1 title. Following the club record sale of Didier Drogba for £24 million to Chelsea, Marseille set their sights on Luyindula as a replacement. Although Luyindula expressed his desire to remain at Lyon and despite their recent success the club still suffered from financial troubles and"
"club ever since. Joёl is the younger brother of striker, and former Cote d'Ivoire captain Didier Drogba, He has another brother, Freddy Drogba, who plays with Dijon FCO. Joël Drogba Joël Drogba (born 17 May 1985 in Abidjan) is an Ivorian footballer, who plays as a striker. Drogba has previously played for French side Metz, and Le Mans. He had trials with German team St. Pauli, Vietnamese club Bình Dương F.C. and Croatian club NK Zagreb. In March 2007, he had a trial with English League 1 club Leyton Orient. However, the club declined to offer the young striker a"
"Levallois SC Levallois Sporting Club Football is a French association football team founded in 1894. They are based in Levallois-Perret, France and are currently playing in the Championnat de France Amateurs Group A, the fourth tier in the French football league system. Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba played youth football with Levallois and they have named their new Stadium after Didier Drogba. From 2002–2006, the club played at the fifth level of French football, the Championnat de France Amateurs 2 and were promoted after finishing third in their group. Levallois reached the 1/16-finals of the 2000–01 Coupe de France, losing"
"Johnson and new signing Damien Duff came into the side to replace him, with Dempsey playing alongside Zamora. Dempsey and Chelsea's Didier Drogba both had opportunities but, in the hot conditions, neither side had many shots in the first half. Drogba, however, gave Chelsea the lead five minutes before the break, shooting low past Schwarzer. Nicolas Anelka, the provider for Drogba's goal, doubled their lead from Drogba's throughball in the 76th minute, effectively sealing the match 2–0 in Chelsea's favour. The third fixture of the season was an away match at Villa Park against Aston Villa. New midfield signing Jonathan"
"by Roman Abramovich, he spent in excess of £70 million in transfer fees on players such as Tiago (£10 million) from Benfica, Michael Essien (£24.4 million) from Lyon, Didier Drogba (£24 million) from Marseille, Mateja Kežman (£5.4 million) from PSV, and Porto pair Ricardo Carvalho (£19.8 million) and Paulo Ferreira (£13.3 million). Under Mourinho, Chelsea built on the potential developed in the previous season. By early December, they were at the top of the Premier League table and had reached the knock-out stages of the Champions League. He secured his first trophy by winning the League Cup against Liverpool 3–2"
"was not real."" At Chelsea, Kalou played with his compatriot and Ivory Coast captain, Didier Drogba. Kalou scored his first goals for Chelsea in a reserve game against Portsmouth, bagging a hat-trick and earning the match ball in a 5–0 thrashing. He scored his first senior goal for Chelsea in a two-goal win over Blackburn Rovers in the third round of the League Cup. In December 2006 in Chelsea's 3–2 victory over Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium, Kalou scored his first Premier League goal, then scored his second league goal against Blackburn in Chelsea's 3–0 win. He also scored"