Ivorian
football star Didier Drogba is well known for his prolific scoring as a forward
for Chelsea, as well as for being captain of the Côte d’Ivoire national team
for the last decade. 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. But beneath the surface, there are many things you didn’t know about Didier Drogba.
club in 2012. But beneath the surface, there are many things you didn’t know about Didier Drogba.
Drogba’s mother, Nicknamed
him “Tito” after President Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, whom she greatly admired.
He was sent to live
with his uncle in France at a young age at age 5, Drogba was sent to live with
his professional footballer uncle, Michel Goba, in France. He returned to his
family in Abidjan three years later after becoming homesick, but moved back to
France after both his parents lost their jobs as bank workers
He was reunited with
his parents in 1993 after they moved to France Drogba’s parents moved to
Antony, a suburb of Paris, in 1993. He moved back in with them and his
siblings, and began playing football on a more frequent basis.
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. Both his brothers
are footballers Drogba’s two younger brothers, Joël and Freddy Drogba, are also
footballers. Freddy plays for the French Ligue Youth 1 side Dijon.
Drogba was the first
African player to score 100 premier league goals In March 2012. The scored his
100th premier league goal in a victory over Stoke City, becoming the 22nd
player ever, and the first African, to do so.
He was also the
first player to be sent off in a European Cup final for violent conduct In the
117th minute of the 2008 Champions League final, Drogba slapped Manchester United
defender Nemanja Vidic. Chelsea went on to lose the game in penalties after
Capt. John Terry took Drogba’s place in the shootout and missed.
Drogba used his
position to help the peace process in Côte d’Ivoire After Côte 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.
Drogba was appointed
a goodwill ambassador for the UN in 2007 Due to his charity work and
involvement in the peace process in Côte d’Ivoire, the U.N. Development Program
named Drogba goodwill ambassador to bring more attention to issues in West
Africa, and to support the millennium development goals across the world.
The Didier Drogba
Foundation’s first initiative was to build a hospital in Abidjan Drogba decided
on the foundation’s initial direction after visiting hospitals in his home
town. ”I decided the foundation’s first project should be to build and
fund a hospital giving people basic healthcare and a chance just to stay
alive.”
Sources: Wikipedia.org, ESPNFC.com,
TheDidierDrogbaFoundation.com, DidierDrogba.com, afkinsider.com
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