Beijing News (reporter Deng Hanyu) In the early morning of November 22, Beijing time, 40-year-old Didier Drogba announced his retirement, and he announced the news on his personal social media. Drogba first sent out a picture of the team as a child, in 1989, when Drogba was only 11 years old, and it all started here.
Drogba posted childhood photos on personal social media. Social media screenshots
"When I look back at my 20 years of career and then look at this picture, it makes me incredibly proud of what I've accomplished as a professional player and, most importantly, that journey has shaped me into a man. If someone tells you, 'Your dream is too far away,' thank them and redouble your efforts to make your dream a reality. You must always believe in the power of dreams. Drogba said.
In 3 years, his value has increased by 275 times
Drogba began his career at Le Mans, France, at the age of 19. Drogba then played for Guingamp and Then Marseille and grew into a top striker in Ligue 1. In the 2003–04 season, Drogba made 35 league appearances for Marseille, scoring 19 goals, placing him third on the top scorers list.
Drogba was shortlisted for The World Footballer of the Year 2004 and won the title of Ligue 1 Best Athlete for the 2003–04 season, where he was elected French Footballer of the Year.
In the summer of 2004, Chelsea signed Drogba for £24.5 million (about €27.48 million), which was already a huge price at the time. You know, when the 23-year-old Drogba moved to Guingamp, the transfer fee was only 100,000 euros, and Drogba used 3 years to increase his value by nearly 275 times.
Drogba while playing for Chelsea. Image/Osports
Playing for the Blues for a career highlight
Playing for Chelsea brought Drogba to the highlights of his career. In the first eight seasons, Drogba made 341 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 157 goals and 71 assists, and helped the team win 1 Champions League, 3 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups and 2 League Cups.
After a brief absence, Drogba returned to Chelsea two years later, in 2014. In the 2014-15 season, Drogba made 39 appearances as an important substitute for the team, including only 13 starts, but still scored seven goals and two assists.
In his premier league years, Drogba intimidated opponents with his tough style of play and outstanding confrontational ability. He was the first African player in Premier League history to score 100 goals, and in his nine seasons for Chelsea, Drogba contributed 380 games, scoring 164 goals and 73 assists, and helping the team win 14 championship trophies.
For Chelsea, Drogba is not only a good striker who helped the team score goals, he represents a glorious period of the Predator Blues, and also carries the fiery love of countless Chelsea fans for football.
Drogba in the game. Image/Osports
Mourinho is "a special one"
Drogba came to Chelsea in his first season from Marseille and he was filled with self-doubt, and it was Mourinho who persuaded him to stay at Stamford Bridge to have all those glorious stats.
While Drogba won the Premier League in his first season with the Blues, he has to admit that for some time after the season he was looking for a comfort zone. 'I was thinking, if you go back to Marseille and be the only striker in the team, the whole team will fight for you. Drogba said.
"Then I heard Mourinho say something really funny about me and the team. He said, 'You know, if you want to be the only king, go back to the team you used to play for.' And now, there are 22 kings here, you need to accept this and fight alongside your companions, otherwise you will have to leave'. ”
"I woke up to the fact that it was the challenge I was looking forward to. Here even centre-backs can score 10 to 15 goals in a season. I need to improve and that's what I want to be a player in the first place. Drogba said.
Drogba spent a tough year at Stamford Bridge to become one of the Premier League's greatest strikers. And Mourinho, who has coached Chelsea twice and won three Premier League titles, has also made himself one of the world's most talked about coaches.
But since joining Old Trafford in 2016, Mourinho has not been able to recreate the scenery of the past. Drogba insists mourinho will continue to silence his doubters, and that Mourinho is now temporarily frustrated only because his past achievements are too brilliant.
"He's been winning, winning, winning, and now he's not winning so much and he's being criticized. He's trying to change his coaching style. Try to change when things aren't going so well, and that's what great coaches do. Drogba said, supporting the former manager.
In his career, Drogba has received numerous personal accolades, he has been twice named Africa's Best Player, twice won the Premier League Top Scorer King, once the Premier League Assist King, and in the 2007 FIFA Player of the Year Award, he ranked 4th, behind Kaka, Messi and Ronaldo. In 2013, he won the Golden Foot Award.
Drogba celebrated the goal in the match. Image/Osports
Today, the 40-year-old Drogba announced his official retirement.
"I want to thank all the team-mates, coaches, staff and fans I've met, it was your presence that made this journey even better. Of course, I would also like to thank my family, my career has come and gone, and no matter what happens, they have silently supported me behind my back. I'm looking forward to the next phase of my life and hope that God will continue to bless me as he blessed my football career. ”
"Magic Beast" turned away, there is no longer his heavy artillery bombardment in the football world, and the jianghu will definitely leave his legendary story.