Ivory Coast Star Didier Drogba Announces Retirement
Former Ivory Coast and Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba, announced his retirement from professional football.
The 40-year-old confirmed the news on Wednesday, 21 November, via a statement posted on Twitter alongside a picture of him playing soccer as a boy.
He said: “When I think of the last 20 years of my professional career, looking at this picture can’t make me more proud of what I have achieved as a player, but most importantly how this journey has shaped me as man.”
Thanking his fans, his fellow players and the clubs he played for, Drogba added: “If anyone tells you [that] your dreams are too big … and work harder and smarter to turn them into a reality.”
Drogba began playing top-tier soccer at French side Guingamp in 2002. Two years later, he was signed by Chelsea, with whom he won three Premier League titles.
The striker also won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2006-07 and 2009-10, and captained Ivory Coast from 2006 to 2014. His final club was Phoenix Rising in the US-based United Soccer League.
Image: Didier Drogba with Chelsea in 2014. [online image] (2018) sourced on 22 November 2018 from: https://assets4.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/drogba_didier1280-1-1040×572.jpg
