Didier Drogba Profile

With his strength, power, pace and determination, Didier Drogba was an absolute warrior of a player, and an absolute nightmare for the majority of defenders who had to line up against him. His football story is slightly unusual for a player with such an esteemed career, as he was late to the professional game and completely missed out on the daily training regime of a football academy as a youngster. However, having eventually signed a pro-contract with Le Mans he quickly stepped up the French league ladder with moves to Guingamp and Marseille. Impressive single seasons with both would result in interest from a number of clubs across Europe but it was José Mourinho's Chelsea who won the race to sign him, paying £24m to bring him to Stamford Bridge. It was a huge fee at the time but over the course of the next eight seasons he would more than pay back it back with 100 Premier League goals and a number of fantastic big-match performances that would see him become a talismanic figure for the club.