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Name:	Didier Drogba
Nationality:	Ivory Coast
Date of Birth:	11/03/1978
Height:	6' 2" (189cm)
Weight:	14st 5lbs (91.0kg)
Previous
Clubs:	Marseille, Guingamp
Position:	Striker

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Pace allied to strength and aerial power made Didier the type of forward not seen at Stamford Bridge for quite a while on his arrival and the ingredients all came together to create a memorable 2006/7 season.

 

His 33 goals, containing many Goal of the Season contenders, made him Chelsea's highest scorer since Kerry Dixon in the 1984/85 season. His 20 in the league won the Premiership Golden Boot. His 60 games tally was the second highest appearances in a season in the club's history.

 

He delivered on the big occasions, scoring both goals in the 2-1 Carling Cup Final defeat over Arsenal, netting home and away against Barcelona, and becoming the first African to score in an FA Cup Final with his extra-time winner over Man United.

 

Didier was signed in the summer of 2004 from Marseille where he had been named France's Player of the Year. A reported fee of £24 million was paid.

 

The man who spearheaded Ivory Coast to a first World Cup Finals in 2006 moved from Africa to live in France as a young child and played his early junior football at right-back.

 

He dabbled with various small clubs and even turned down the chance of a trial at Paris St-Germain, preferring to learn his trade before moving onto the big stage.

 

He did so at Second Division Le Mans before shifting up a division to Guingamp, a club he had been prevented from joining some years earlier due to injury.

 

It was during this spell in Brittany that Didier first came to the attention of JoséMourinho - but after scoring 17 goals in 2002/3 and becoming an international, he had moved out of Porto's price range.

 

Olympique Marseille swooped and they did not regret their move. After a gentle-paced start to his career in France, Didier hit full sprint following the move to the big time.

 

In his second season at l'OM, he netted 18 times in 35 league games and six times as the 2004 UEFA Cup Final was reached, including braces against Liverpool and Newcastle.

 

In addition to his France Footballer of the Year award, FIFA recognised the achievements with a nomination for World Player of the Year. Mourinho made the player a top target in his first summer of transfer activity at Chelsea - and this time the price wasn't a problem.

 

A groin operation forced him out for two months midway through his first season and it took time to reach full power again.

 

But Didier scored in the 2005 Carling Cup Final and the man asked to fill the central position in a front three netted 10 times in the championship-winning campaign and 16 times in all competitions.

 

In 2005/6 his season's tally was again 16 goals, 12 coming during the successful defence of the Premiership, but before that triumph, there was also adversity.

 

Following handball incidents in two games and accusations of simulation, it took character to respond with an awe-inspiring showing against West Ham at the Bridge in March 2006.

 

Chelsea came back from a goal and a man down to win 4-1, prompting Mourinho to say:

 

'Didier should go home, switch on the TV, listen to the pundits, buy every single paper tomorrow and listen and read to see if the same people who wanted to kill him have now the common sense to say what he deserves.'

 

The manager has never been slow to highlight the importance of his striker to the team and speak of leadership qualities.

 

Didier captained Ivory Coast in their maiden World Cup Finals in 2006 and found the net against Argentina before returning to Chelsea where he was asked to mould a strike partnership with newly-arrived Andriy Shevchenko.

 

He found playing with two-up suited as the flow of goals turned into a torrent.

 

The African Player of the Year, he has become Chelsea's all-time highest scoring international. Last season he signed a new deal to keep him at the club until 2010.

 

This season, injury and unavailability have limited Drogba's impact. Recurring knee problems became too much to bear for the forward, and so surgery kept him from action for a month before a brief appearance against Queens Park Rangers to sign off for African Nations duty.

 

Limited to just 16 Chelsea appearances before departing for Ghana, Drogba had already contributed 10 goals.