fbpx

8 Things You Didn’t Know About Didier Drogba

8 Things You Didn’t Know About Didier Drogba

1 of 9

Ivorian footballer Didier Drogba is well known for his prolific scoring as a forward for a variety of clubs that he has represented, with Chelsea in England being his major club during a stellar career.

Drogba has the distinction of being highest goal-scorer of any foreign player in the Premier League, and was even voted the best Chelsea player by supporters of the club in 2012.

Here are 8 things you didn’t know about Didier Drogba.

Sources: Wikipedia.org, ESPNFC.com, TheDidierDrogbaFoundation.com, DidierDrogba.com, Dailymail.co.uk, Soccer-fans-info.com, Biography.com,

This is an updated version of a slideshow that was originally published Oct. 2, 2014. Peter Pedroncelli contributed to this report.

Cote D'Ivoire Afcon Winners
Cote D’Ivoire Afcon Winners – imatin.net

He missed out on the 2015 AFCON title

Drogba retired from the Ivorian national team in 2014, after a long career giving his best for the Elephants. This means that he missed out on winning the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) alongside his team-mates at the beginning of 2015, when the Ivorians went on a victorious tournament run which ended with a penalty shootout win against Ghana in the final. It was a great pity that one of their best ever players missed out on the Nations Cup title.

Mourinho and Drogba
Mourinho and Drogba – skysports.com

Drogba made a move to the MLS

In July 2015 the striker signed a deal to join Montreal Impact in Major League Soccer (MLS) action. Signed as a designated player at the Canadian club, his wages were therefore not be restricted by the general MLS salary cap which is in place. Drogba left English Premier League side Chelsea at the end of last season, ending his second stint at the London club with total figures of 164 goals in 381 appearances.

dailymail.co.uk
dailymail.co.uk

He’s the most expensive Ivorian player in history

In the summer of 2004, Drogba signed a contract with Chelsea for $40 million. He turned out to be worth it, though, as he helped the club win its first league title in 50 years. In 2012, a poll of 20,000 fans administered by the Chelsea club’s official magazine named Didier Drogba the team’s greatest player ever.

fr.wikipedia.org
fr.wikipedia.org

Drogba was the first African player to score 100 Premier League goals

In March 2012, the Ivorian striker scored his 100th English Premier League goal in a victory over Stoke City, becoming the 22nd player ever to achieve the feat, and the first African to reach that incredible milestone.

www.supersport.com
www.supersport.com

Drogba’s auctioned shirt fetched $7,500

In 2015 a shirt belonging to Didier Drogba was auctioned off in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire in an effort to raise funds for the Salomon Kalou Foundation, with the successful bidder acquiring the striker’s top for $7,500. The foundation was in the process of constructing a private hospital which is designed to treat kidney diseases. On top of the auctioned items, Kalou added a contribution of $25,000 to his foundation while Drogba donated a dialysis machine worth an estimated $50,000.

Didier Drogba and son Isaac
Didier Drogba and son Isaac – dailymail.co.uk

Drogba used his position to help the peace process in Côte d’Ivoire

After Cote d’Ivoire qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Drogba made a public plea to armed combatants in his country to lay down arms during the tail end of the civil war, and his position as a well-respected footballer and national hero helped to facilitate a move towards peace.

flickr.com
flickr.com

Drogba was appointed a goodwill ambassador for the UN in 2007

Due to his charity work and involvement in the peace process in Cote d’Ivoire, the U.N. Development Program named Drogba a goodwill ambassador to bring more attention to issues in West Africa, and to support the millennium development goals across the world.

flickr.com
flickr.com

The Didier Drogba Foundation is building hospitals

 

Didier Drogba added to the charitable work that he undertakes in his homeland with the opening of the first of five hospitals in April last year. The hospital that opened is a $1 million facility in a district located in the capital, Abidjan called Attecoube, and it focuses on medical care and treatment for the less fortunate who cannot afford more expensive healthcare. Four other hospitals are planned in Yamoussoukro, San Pedro, Man and Korhogo.