Facts about Didier Drogba, the African king

Didier Yves Drogba Tebily, widely known as Tito, is one of the best footballers in Ivory Coast history. He is famous for his career at

, and the legend scored more goals than any other foreign player for the Blues. The Ivorian striker made his professional debut for Le Mans, and he went to play for Olympique de Marseille.

In 2004 Drogba moved to Chelsea for a record £24 million fee, becoming the most expensive Ivorian player in history. Tito is the first African player to score 100 Premier League goals. He went on to play for Shanghai Shenhua and

before returning to the Blues. The Ivorian legend has been referred to as the ultimate big-game player, as he scored ten goals in 10 finals, winning ten trophies.

As a member of the Ivory Coast national side, Didier Drogba played for his country from 2002 to 2014, becoming the captain from 2006 until his retirement. He won 105 caps and scored 65 times, becoming the nation's all-time top goalscorer. Here are the fascinating 

facts about Didier Drogba

you might want to know.

Facts you need to know about Didier Drogba

Let's take a look at the top facts about Didier Drogba. Facts like Didier Drogba birthday, wife, Instagram, which may be fascinating to football lovers.

Didier Drogba age and biography at point

• Full Name:

  Didier Yves Drogba Tebily

• Nickname:

  The African King, The Drog, Tito

• Date of Birth:

  11 March 1978

• Age:

  43 years

• Place of Birth:

  Abidjan, Ivory Coast

• Nationality:

  Ivorian

• Height:

  1.88 m

• Weight:

  84 kg

• Parents:

  Albert Drogba, Clotilde Drogba

• Wife/Partner:

  Diakite Lalla (2011-2020)

• Children:

  Isaac Drogba, Iman Drogba, Kieran Drogba

• Occupation:

  Professional Former Footballer

• Playing Position:

  Striker

• Club(s):

  Le Mans, Guingamp, Marseille, Chelsea, Shanghai Shenhua, Galatasaray, Montreal Impact, Phoenix Rising

• Jersey/Kit Number:

  11

• Net Worth:

  $90 million

Didier Drogba Childhood

The first part of our article on facts about Didier Drogba is about his childhood.

Didier Drogba birthday

is on 11 March 1978 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He grew up in harsh living conditions, and during his early life, Drogba saw lots of hunger. Didier Drogba family could not put much food on the table due to their local banking job. They were waiting for Michel Goba, Drogba's uncle, to send them money. Goba was a professional football player who lived in France.

When

Didier Drogba age

was five, his parents decided to send him to France to live with his uncle. Traveling alone was strange for little Didier, who has not entered a plane. 

His parents were of the view that Didier should not become a footballer, just focusing on academics. But his uncle, Michel Goba, wanted little Didier to become a footballer just like him, sending Tito to a football academy in France. Soon Didier became homesick and returned to his parents after three years.

"I remember my early life in France. I cried every day. Not because I was in France – I could have been anywhere – but because I was so far, far away from my parents. I missed them so much,"

said Didier Drogba. 

At the time of his return, Ivory Coast was at the height of its economic collapse, and his parents could not afford to pay his school fees. Therefore, Drogba stopped his education and began training football with his friends. When he was 11, Albert and Clotilde Drogba lost their jobs, and once again, they sent their son to France.

In 1993 his uncle enrolled him in a youth football club Levallois SP. While studying at high school, Tito concentrated on part-time football. He was interested in finishing his degree before taking football full-time.  

Didier Drogba Career Stats

After reviewing

Didier Drogba childhood

, let's take a look at

Didier Drogba career stats

, that is, one of the significant facts about Didier Drogba. In 1991 the Ivorian footballer signed his first professional contract with Le Mans, and in the same year, he welcomed his first child, Isaac. Later he said:

"Isaac's birth was a turning point in my life, it straightened me out."

Drogba left Le Mans and joined Guingamp for a fee of £80,000 in the 2001-02 season, and at the end of the season, he moved to Olympique de Marseille. With scoring 19 times, Drogba had an extraordinary performance at the French club, winning the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Player of the Year award. The legend scored six in the UEFA Cup and five goals in that season's UEFA Champions League.

His performances at the French club caught the eyes of Chelsea owners, and in July 2004, he was brought to Stamford Bridge for £24 million, which was the club's then-record signing. Even though he was at the French club just one season, his jersey is framed in the Basilica of Marseille.

The Ivorian striker spent eight seasons in the Blues, scoring 157 goals for them in all seasons, becoming the first African player to score more than 100 goals in the Premier League. He also won the Premier League title on three occasions, four FA Cups, two Football League Cups, two FA Community Shield titles, and one UEFA Champions League title. During his time with the Blues, the African King has crowned the African Footballer of the Year two times.

After spending eight seasons with the Blues, Tito moved to Chinese Super League club

where he linked up with Nicolas Anelka, his former Blues teammate, once again. He managed to score eight times in 11 appearances, but a dispute over his contract led him to move to the Turkish club Galatasaray.

The striker scored 20 goals during his spell at the Turkish club, helping the team win one Supr Lig, one Turkish Cup, and the 2013 Turkish Super Cup. In July 2014, the Ivorian footballer complete a fairytale return to Chelsea and spent the sole season in Stamford Bridge. He won again one Premier League title with the Blues. The legend went on to play for Montreal Impact and

before his retirement. 

On the international level, Drogba represented his country at three World Cup and four Africa Cup of Nations, scoring 65 goals in 105 appearances.

Didier Drogba Net worth & Salary

In this section, we will take a look at

Didier Drogba salary

and net worth, which is one of the fascinating facts about Didier Drogba.

Widely known as Tito, Didier Drogba is regarded as one of the greatest strikers in Chelsea history. As of 2021,

Didier Drogba net worth

is estimated at around $90 million. Didier Drogba salary was $15 million per year.

Didier Drogba Children & Wife

Football fans know about the former Ivorian striker skills, but few consider his bio, which is quite interesting. Stay tuned to read more about the

Didier Drogba family

. Didier Drogba met Lalla Diakite, a Malian woman in Paris when they were just teenagers.

Finally, the couple got married in 2011. But who is

Didier Drogba wife

? Lalla Diakite was born in the Republic of Mali, and she is a Muslim. Lalla's father was a footballer in Mali, and her parents divorced. It is interesting to know that Didier Drogba wife is the niece of Amadou Toumani Toure, late Malian politician.

But unfortunately, the couple ended their 20-year-old marriage in 2020. When the former footballer was trying to become the president of the football association in Ivory Coast, the rumor that he was having problems with Lalla Diakite started; before 2020 ended, they couldn’t continue with their marriage.

In January 2021, Drogba announced it to the public and said:

"I don’t normally discuss my private life, but due to false media speculation, today I will confirm that sadly after 20 years together Lalla and I made the difficult decision to separate last year."

In the case of

Didier Drogba children

, you might know that the retired footballer has three children. Isaac, his eldest son, was born in France in 1991, and he has played in the Chelsea academy system.

Facts about Didier Drogba you did not know

• Didier Drogba nickname

Didier Drogba nickname is given to him by his mother. Clotilde Drogba nicknamed her son Tito after president Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia. Drogba also has two other nicknames (The African King and The Drog)

• Didier Drogba tattoo

The fascinating fact about Didier Drogba tattoo is that his tattoo is on the left inside arm. The retired footballer has a rosary tattooed on to his arm. Right next to the rosary, Drogba tattooed his jersey number, 11. He has fit his children's name into his tattoo.

• Didier Drogba Instagram account

Tito, like many footballers, is active on Instagram. Didier Drogba Instagram account (

) has around 9.8m followers.

• Didier Drogba height

Didier Drogba height is 1.88 m, and his weight is 84 kg.

• Didier Drogba's younger brothers followed in his steps and they are footballers. But we haven't heard much about them.

Didier Drogba Quotes

One of the most amusing parts of SportMob's article on facts about Didier Drogba is a look back at his most controversial quotes.

On footballer

"People think footballers are all like robots - we can control everything on the pitch. But your heart is beating 200 times a minute; it's very, very physical."

On naming a stadium after an Ivory Coast player

"Having a stadium in France named after a footballer from the Ivory Coast, even if I'm proud of my France-Ivory Coast background, is a great proof of integration."

On destiny

"I believe a lot in destiny and I think that if something didn't happen, it was for a reason."

On losing a game

"When you don't win games, yeah, you lose confidence. That's normal."

On his country

"I have won many trophies in my time, but nothing will ever top helping win the battle for peace in my country."

On Lionel Messi

"Messi, Neymar or Ronaldo? The three of them are exceptional, they have a lot of quality and they have their differences. I like all three, but I think Messi will still be the best of the world a few more times. I know Cristiano Ronaldo is close to winning another one Ballon d'Or, but I really like Messi's style. I really like Neymar too, but I really like Messi."

On Messi's goal statistics

"But 63 that season? It was such a ridiculous figure that we looked at each other in disbelief and laughed - what else could we do? I even took a picture of the number because it was so outrageous."

On foundation in Africa

"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. It’s a big honour and pleasure for me to be linked with Bono and try to help him save some lives. AIDS and HIV is something that really destroyed Africa, and people don’t really realise how easy it is to save lives — only two pills a day, which is 40 cents."

Didier Drogba TransferMarket

According to

Didier Drogba transfermarket

, the retired footballer played 686 times for eight clubs (Le Mans, Guingamp, Marseille, Chelsea, Shanghai Shenhua, Galatasaray, Montreal Impact, and Phoenix Rising). Tito scored 300 goals and provided 126 assists for his teammates.

On the international level, Didier Drogba scored 65 goals in 105 appearances that he made for his country. 

Didier Drogba Records & Achievements

Sportmob's article on facts about Didier Drogba will end with a list of Didier Drogba's individual records and notable achievements. Drogba won the Premier League title on three occasions, four FA Cups, two Football League Cups, two FA Community Shield titles, and one UEFA Champions League title with the Blues. The African King also won one Supr Lig, one Turkish Cup, and the 2013 Turkish Super Cup with Galatasaray.

His notable individual achievements are African Footballer of the Year (two times), 2007 Alan Hardaker Trophy, 2015 Barclays Spirit of the Game Award, 2007 Chelsea Players' Player of the Year, 2013 Golden Foot, 2012 GQ Sportsman of the Year, Premier League Golden Boot (two times), and 2013 Turkish Footballer of the Year.

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facts about Didier Drogba

? Do you know any other facts about him? Comment us your views.

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