Le Mans When Drogba finished school he moved to Le Mans to study accountancy at university and changed clubs, becoming an apprentice at
Ligue 2 club
Le Mans. His first two years there were marred by injuries and he physically struggled to cope with the training and match schedule. By age 21, Drogba realised that he had to establish himself as a player soon or he would have little chance of becoming a professional. He made his first team debut for Le Mans soon thereafter and signed his first professional contract in 1999. The same year, he and his Malian wife Alla had their first child, Isaac. He grew into his new responsibilities, later saying: "Isaac's birth was a turning point in my life, it straightened me out".
Guingamp Halfway through the 2001–02 season
Ligue 1 club
Guingamp consolidated months of interest with a transfer offer and Drogba left Le Mans for a fee of £80,000. But the next season he rewarded his coaches' patience, scoring 17 goals in 34 appearances and helping Guingamp finish seventh, a record league finish. He played his first match in his new colours on 2 August 2003, during the first matchday of the
2003–2004 season against his former club,
Guingamp. In that season Drogba emerged as one of the highest European scorers. He scored 19 league goals, winning the
National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Player of the Year award. He also scored 11 goals in European competitions, five goals in
UEFA Champions League and six in the
UEFA Cup. At the end of the season, Drogba was a transfer priority of newly endorsed
Chelsea coach
José Mourinho, and was bought as the club's then record signing of £24 million.
Chelsea 2004–06 Signing for Chelsea in July 2004 for £24 million, he became the club's record signing and the most expensive striker in English domestic football. 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 action for over two months. Chelsea won the
Premier League, only their second
English top-flight championship and their first in 50 years, and the
League Cup. Later, Drogba scored in extra time in a 3–2
final win against Liverpool at the
Millennium Stadium, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the
Champions League. Drogba scored a somewhat disappointing 16 goals in a total of 40 games for Chelsea in his first season: ten in the Premier League, five in the Champions League and one in the League Cup final. Drogba started the
2005–06 season by scoring two goals in a
Community Shield win over
Arsenal. His reputation was marred amidst accusations of cheating during Chelsea's 2–0 win over
Manchester City. Replays showed that he had used his hand to control the ball before scoring the second of his two goals. This occurred just a week after a similar incident against
Fulham where the goal was disallowed. Chelsea went on to retain the league title with two games to play, becoming only the second club to win back-to-back English titles in the Premier League era. Again Drogba finished with 16 goals for the season, 12 in the
Premier League, two in the Community Shield, one in the
Champions League and one in the
FA Cup.
2006–07 game with
FC Porto 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. Drogba scored 33 goals in all competitions during the season (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 in a season, scoring 20 in the Premier League, six in the
Champions League, three in the
FA Cup and four in the
League Cup. Among the highlights were scoring game-winners from outside the penalty area against Liverpool,
Everton (from 35 yards out) and
Barcelona, a 93rd-minute equaliser against Barcelona at the
Camp Nou and both Chelsea's goals in their 2–1
League Cup final win over
Arsenal. His goal against Liverpool saw him control the ball on his chest with his back to goal before hitting a 20-yard half-volley on the turn. Liverpool defender
Jamie Carragher said, "There's not a lot you can do in certain situations because they were that good." In his last competitive game that season, he scored the winning goal against
Manchester United in the first
FA Cup final at the new
Wembley Stadium. This also meant he became the only player to score in both English domestic finals in the same season and win both. In January 2007, Drogba was named the Ivorian Player of the Year, ahead of
Kader Keïta,
Aruna Dindane, and
Kolo Touré. In March, he was named
African Footballer of the Year for the first time, ahead of
Samuel Eto'o and Chelsea teammate
Michael Essien. His performances during the season saw him named in the
PFA Premier League Team of the Year and runner-up to
Cristiano Ronaldo in the
PFA Player of the Year awards. Drogba faced problems off the pitch during the end of the season as his transfer from
Marseille to Chelsea in July 2004 came under scrutiny. The
Stevens inquiry in June 2007 expressed concerns because of the lack of co-operation from agents
Pinhas Zahavi and
Barry Silkman.
2007–08 The
2007–08 season began badly for Drogba as he expressed doubts about the departure of manager
José Mourinho. He was reportedly in tears when Mourinho told him he was leaving, 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". 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 club in 2006, Drogba reportedly pointed out several favoured clubs in the interview, identifying
Barcelona,
Real Madrid,
A.C. Milan and
Inter Milan as possible future destinations. He later said he regretted this and was 100% committed to Chelsea. Drogba continued scoring goals but suffered an injury at the
training ground and decided to have an operation on his knee. He was unable to play for four weeks and missed key games against
Valencia,
Arsenal and
Liverpool. Drogba returned from injury to play in an
FA Cup third round match against
Queens Park Rangers and wore the
captain's armband for the last 30 minutes he was on the pitch, but that was his last performance for Chelsea before international duty at the
Africa Cup of Nations. Upon his return, Drogba scored a goal in the
2008 League Cup Final, making him the all-time leading scorer in League Cup Finals with four goals, but could not help prevent Chelsea fall to a 2–1 defeat at the hands of
Tottenham Hotspur. He scored both goals in a key 2–1 victory against
Arsenal on 23 March 2008, bringing Chelsea equal on points with leaders
Manchester United. striker
Robin van Persie in March 2008 On 26 April 2008, Drogba faced controversy after a clash with Manchester United defender
Nemanja Vidić, who had to have stitches under his lip after losing a tooth in the clash. It was debated whether Drogba intended to injure him. The debate also called into question an incident on 26 November 2006 when Drogba elbowed Vidić. Manchester United manager
Sir Alex Ferguson expressed concerns over elbowing in the Premier League. Despite media speculation, Drogba's
yellow card for the clash was deemed adequate punishment by the
Football Association. Controversy still dogged Drogba, as before the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg clash with
Liverpool, he was accused of
diving by Liverpool manager
Rafael Benítez. Benítez claimed to have compiled a four-year dossier of Drogba's "diving" antics but Drogba hit back at Benítez in an interview. On 30 April 2008, Drogba scored two goals in the second leg of the semi-final against Liverpool, which Chelsea won 3–2 at
Stamford Bridge. This was the first time Chelsea had beaten Liverpool in the semi-finals of the Champions League, having lost their previous two meetings to Liverpool. This also led Chelsea to reach their first Champions League Final. Drogba became Chelsea's top scorer in European competition, the two goals he scored putting his total at 17, surpassing Peter Osgood's record of 16. becoming only the second player to be sent off in a European Cup final – after
Jens Lehmann in 2006 – and the first for violent conduct. Chelsea went on to lose 6–5 on penalties after a 1–1 draw in extra time. Chelsea assistant boss
Henk ten Cate revealed Drogba was due to take the decisive fifth spot-kick in the shootout. Team captain
John Terry took his place but missed after slipping whilst taking the penalty.
2008–09 game at
Stamford Bridge in May 2008 Drogba suffered a string of injuries early on in the
2008–09 season and struggled to regain fitness, missing games from August to November due to knee problems. He scored his first goal of the season in mid-November but there was little reason to celebrate: he incurred disciplinary action and a three-match ban for throwing a coin back into the stands and Chelsea suffered a
League Cup defeat against
Burnley. Drogba scored his second goal of the season in a 2–1 victory against
CFR Cluj in the
UEFA Champions League, while his first
Premier League goal of the season came in a 2–0 win against
West Bromwich Albion in late December 2008. Having missed many games through injury and suspension, Drogba had lost his first team place and manager Scolari favoured playing
Nicolas Anelka as a lone striker rather than pairing the two. But he resolved to regain his position in the squad. Upon the temporary appointment of
Guus Hiddink in early February, Drogba enjoyed a rejuvenation of sorts, returning to his goal-scoring form with four goals in five games. His revival in form saw him net twice against
Bolton Wanderers, and four times in four Champions League matches, one in each leg of the last 16 and quarter-final of the competition against
Juventus and Liverpool respectively, with these goals ensuring Chelsea's passage into the semi-finals. Just four days after his Champions League games, Drogba scored a late goal in the
FA Cup semi-final match against
Arsenal after
Frank Lampard's pass found Drogba and he carefully rounded Arsenal goalkeeper
Łukasz Fabiański before passing the ball into Arsenal's empty net. Drogba also caused controversy after Chelsea's Champions League semi-final defeat at the hands of
Barcelona. Feeling that many decisions had gone against Chelsea, Drogba confronted referee
Tom Henning Øvrebø after the final whistle. He received a
yellow card and was recorded shouting "It's a fucking disgrace" into a live television camera. On 17 June 2009, UEFA handed him a six-game European ban with the final two games suspended. The ban was reduced by one match after Chelsea appealed. In the
2009 FA Cup Final, Drogba scored Chelsea's first and equalising goal as they went on to win 2–1. This was his sixth goal in a major cup final in England. Drogba had previously expressed his desire to switch clubs, but decided to remain with the Blues under new coach
Carlo Ancelotti and signed a new contract.
2009–10 in the Premier League, December 2009 Drogba began the
2009–10 season in fine form for Chelsea, netting a penalty during a shoot-out win 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 goal of the season, against
Stoke City; Chelsea ended winning the game 2–1 with a late strike from
Malouda. He added a fifth at home against
London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on 20 September. He scored his 100th goal for Chelsea in a 3–1 defeat against Wigan Athletic. Drogba was again important in the 2–0 win over title rivals
Liverpool on 4 October. He assisted both goals, setting up
Nicolas Anelka and
Florent Malouda. He then scored a glancing header against Blackburn on 24 October 2009, bringing his tally to eight goals in eleven appearances, scoring his third goal in as many games. Drogba continued his fine form scoring a header against Bolton Wanderers in a 4–0 win in the
League Cup, Drogba went on to score a goal in the same week with another 4–0 win against Bolton Wanderers in the
Premier League. After missing the first three Champions League matches for Chelsea with a ban for being unsportsmanlike, Drogba started the fourth game against Spanish side
Atlético Madrid. He scored two goals in the last ten minutes and the match ended 2–2. On 29 November, Drogba scored a goal against London rivals Arsenal at the
Emirates Stadium, the second of which a free kick from outside the box. It brought his tally for the season to 14 goals in 16 games. On 12 December, Drogba continued his performance with two goals in 3–3 draw against
Everton. Between 3 and 30 January Drogba was on
Africa Cup of Nations duty and came back on 2 February against
Hull City where he scored a 40th-minute equaliser to tie the game 1–1. On 24 March, Drogba scored his 30th goal of the season in an away game against
Portsmouth. On 9 May, Drogba helped Chelsea to win the Premier League by scoring a hat-trick in an 8–0 win over
Wigan Athletic. In doing so, he not only collected his third League winner's medal but also won the Golden Boot for the season, his second time doing so, by topping the chart with 29 league goals, beating
Wayne Rooney to the title who remained on 26 goals. Both players had the same number of goals (26) before the start of their respective matches. However, during the game, Drogba appeared to be clearly angry with teammate and regular penalty taker Frank Lampard, after Lampard refused to let Drogba take a penalty which would lead Chelsea to go 2–0 up and give him a chance of winning the golden boot. Lampard scored the penalty, but Drogba did not celebrate with his teammates. Later on in the game though
Ashley Cole was tripped in the box when Chelsea were already 5–0 up, and this time Lampard allowed Drogba to take the penalty, which he scored to go two goals clear of Rooney. The following week, Drogba scored the only goal of the
2010 FA Cup Final against
Portsmouth from a free-kick, keeping up his record of having scored in all six English cup finals (
FA Cup and
League Cup) in which he has played.
2010–11 against
Newcastle United in November 2010 Drogba came on as a substitute for Anelka against
Manchester United in the
Community Shield, but could not help prevent Chelsea from succumbing to a 3–1 loss. However, he started the
Premier League season in fine form, continuing from where he left off on the last day of the previous campaign as he scored a hat-trick against West Bromwich Albion in a 6–0 victory. In Chelsea's next game against
Wigan Athletic at the
DW Stadium, Drogba made three assists in another 6–0 win. Drogba played the next game at home against
Stoke 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 would make a full recovery within days.
2011–12 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, he made his return to the Chelsea squad on 24 September against
Swansea City. Drogba scored his first goal of the season in a 4–1 win. On 29 November, he rejected a new deal with Chelsea and was set to sign for the highest bidder. On 31 December 2011, 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. He 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 scored his seventh goal at
Wembley Stadium against London rivals
Tottenham Hotspur on 15 April, blasting the ball past former teammate
Carlo Cudicini as Chelsea became 5–1 winners and secured a place in the
FA Cup Final against Liverpool. Three days later, he scored a vital goal as Chelsea beat
Barcelona 1–0 at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their
UEFA Champions League Semi-final clash. Drogba became the first player to score in four different FA Cup Finals, as he netted the winner in Chelsea's 2–1 triumph over
Liverpool on 5 May. He also holds the record for most goals scored at the new Wembley Stadium with eight. In the
Champions League final against
Bayern Munich on 19 May 2012, with Chelsea down 1–0, Drogba scored the equaliser from
Juan Mata's corner in the 88th minute, taking the game into extra time, when he gave away a penalty for Bayern after fouling
Franck Ribéry in the box; former teammate
Arjen Robben's shot was saved by
Petr Čech. The game went to a penalty shootout, where he scored the winning penalty to give Chelsea their first Champions League trophy.
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 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 FC Magazine.
Shanghai Shenhua 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 join
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 for £200,000 a week. On 22 July, Drogba made his debut for Shanghai Shenhua in a 1–1 away draw against
Guangzhou R&F, coming on as a substitute for Brazilian defender
Moisés in the second half. He assisted
Cao Yunding's equaliser in the 67th minute. On 4 August, he scored his first two goals in a 5–1 win against
Hangzhou Greentown. He scored two more goals on 25 August, both set up by Anelka, as Shenhua drew 3–3 with
Shandong Luneng.
Galatasaray On 28 January 2013, Drogba agreed to a one-and-a-half-year deal with
Süper Lig team
Galatasaray. He would earn a sign-on fee of €4 million plus basic wage of €4 million per season, €2 million for the remaining
2012–13 Süper Lig and €15,000 per match. However, on 30 January 2013, Shenhua released a press release that Drogba would unilaterally breach his contract if he were to join Galatasaray. last 16 for Galatasaray in March 2014 Drogba argued that he had not been paid his wages by the club and asked FIFA, the sport's governing body, to invalidate his contract. In February 2013, FIFA granted a temporary license for him to play for Galatasaray pending the outcome of the contract dispute. On 15 February, Drogba scored his debut goal for Galatasaray just five minutes after coming off the bench against
Akhisar Belediyespor in a match that ended 2–1. On 9 April, he scored his first goal for Galatasaray in the
Champions League quarter-final game, against Real Madrid. On 20 April, Drogba scored twice in a match against Elazigspor that ended 3–1. He won his first title with Galatasaray on 5 May, with a 4–2 win over
Sivasspor. In Galatasary's derby match against
Istanbul rivals
Fenerbahçe on 12 May, Drogba and his Ivorian teammate
Emmanuel Eboue were subjects of racist chants from opposing fans in the team's 2–1 loss, 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.
Return to Chelsea On 25 July 2014, Chelsea announced that Drogba completed his return to the club on a free transfer, and signed a one-year contract.
Mohamed Salah, who wore the number during the 2013–14 season, took over the number 17 shirt vacated by
Eden Hazard. But on 15 August, 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. holding the Premier League trophy in May 2015 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 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 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. Drogba's final total of 104 goals was the most by an African in Premier League history until it was surpassed by Liverpool and Egypt forward
Mohamed Salah in 2021.
Montreal Impact 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 hat-trick on his first MLS start, the first player to do so in the league's history. Additionally, it was considered a "perfect hat-trick", with one goal scored with either foot and one with the head. He was September's
MLS Player of the Month after scoring 7 goals in his first 5 games in the league. On 25 October, he scored both of the Impact's goals from back heels as the team came from behind to defeat
Toronto FC 2–1 at home in the
Canadian Classique; the win gave Montreal the home advantage for their knock-out fixture against Toronto in the
2015 MLS Cup Playoffs. Drogba finished the
2015 MLS regular season with 11 goals in 11 games. On 29 October, Drogba scored Montreal's third goal in a 3–0 home win over Toronto in the knock-out round of the Playoffs, to advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals for the first time in the club's history; they were eliminated by
Columbus Crew SC. He was named one of the three finalists for the 2015
MLS Newcomer of the Year Award. During the MLS offseason, recently appointed Chelsea manager
Guus Hiddink revealed interest in bringing on Drogba in a short-term coaching capacity after Drogba visited
Stamford Bridge to watch a Chelsea match with Hiddink and owner
Roman Abramovich. Montreal then reiterated their intent for Drogba to finish his contract with the club, but were left uncertain until Drogba publicly confirmed his intent to play with Montreal for the 2016 MLS season on 3 March 2016. After beginning his preseason training in
Qatar away from the club, Drogba joined the Impact for the second half of their preseason training in
St. Petersburg, Florida. On 3 March, club technical director
Adam Braz announced that Drogba would not play matches on artificial turf to begin the season due to possible implications on his knee. On 14 October, following his exclusion from the starting lineup of a match against
Toronto FC by manager
Mauro Biello, Drogba refused to play for the team that night, removing his name from the squad. With both his fitness, due to a lingering back injury, and his role in the team in question, Drogba did not travel with the team to, although he was in attendance at, their first postseason match at
D.C. United, a 4–2 victory on 27 October. Drogba did not experience the same level of success in his second regular season compared to the first, but still scored 10 goals while appearing in only 22 games, as Montreal reached the Conference Final of the
2016 Playoffs.
Phoenix Rising On 12 April 2017, after nearly four months as a
free agent and declining a move to Brazilian side
Corinthians, Drogba signed for
USL side
Phoenix Rising FC. He also became a minority owner of the club. He made his debut for the club on 10 June 2017, and scored a goal and an assist, leading the team to a 2–1 victory over
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2. In July 2017 Drogba attracted attention after scoring an impressive last-minute free kick in a game against
Orange County to tie the game. On 7 August, he scored with a powerful 40-yard free kick against LA Galaxy reserve side which was followed by his classic knee-slide
goal celebration in front of the bench. On 8 November, Phoenix lost the USL Championship game 1–0 at
Louisville City FC. Drogba retired later that month at the age of 40, but remained with his final club to work on their bid to join MLS. == International career ==