11 March 1978 - Drogba Rising

On 11 March 1978, Didier Drogba was born in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. He went on to become one of the world's dominant strikers.

Growing up, he spent many years living in France and it was there he started his professional career, joining the youth program at Levallois in 1996, then moving to Le Mans in 1997. In 1998, he signed a professional contract with Le Mans and played there for three and a half years, scoring a total of only 15 goals in 75 appearances before moving to Guingamp for £80,000 in the winter transfer window.

The move sparked his career. In his first full season there, he scored 21 goals, attracting the interest of Marseille who signed him for £3.3M in the summer 2003. After only one remarkable season at Marseille, in which he scored 32 goals across all competitions and was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year, he moved again, this time to Chelsea who paid £24M.

In eight seasons with Chelsea, he scored 157 goals in 341 appearances, making him the fourth-highest goalscorer in club history. He also collected a massive haul of silverware, including three league titles, four FA Cups, and one Champions League trophy.

Along the way, he also captained the Côte d'Ivoire national team and is their all-time leading scorer with 65 goals in 104 appearances.

After leaving Chelsea at the end of his contract in 2012, he spent time with Shanghai Shenhua (2012-13) and Galatasaray (2013-14) before returning to Chelsea for the 2014-15 season. He then played for the Montreal Impact (2015-16) before joining his current club, Phoenix Rising, as player-owner in 2017. 

10 February 2006 - The Pharoahs Reign Again

On 10 February 2006, Egypt won their fifth African Cup of Nations trophy, beating Côte d'Ivoire on penalties, 0-0 (4-2). The match came forty-nine years to the day after their first win in an ACN match.

The two teams met earlier in the tournament's group stage, with hosts Egypt winning 3-1 on their way to topping the group. Côte d'Ivoire finished second to join them in the knockout rounds, where they upset Cameroon in a penalty shootout, 1-1 (11-12).

The final, played before a crowd of 80,000 at Cairo International Stadium, was not without controversy. After Côte d'Ivoire striker Didier Drogba missed a chance to win the match in regulation, Egypt had an 83rd-minute goal disallowed. Then, in extra time, Egypt won a dubious penalty kick for what appeared to be a fair challenge on Mohamed Barakat, but captain Ahmed Hassan sent his attempt off the bar and the match headed into penalties.

There, Hassan converted the first kick, while Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary saved Côte d'Ivoire's first kick, taken by Drogba. After Egypt's Abdel Halim Ali missed his attempt, El Hadary saved another to put Egypt ahead 2-1 after three kicks each. Emmanuel Eboue made his shot to bring the teams level, but Mohamed Aboutreika made the last kick for Egypt to claim the victory.

11 February 2003 - The Leader Of The Pack

On 11 February 2003, striker Didier Drogba scored his first goal for Côte d'Ivoire in a 3-0 rout of Cameroon. He is currently their top scorer with a total of 65 goals in 104 appearances.

He earned his first cap the previous September when, at 24 years old, he appeared in the opening match of the Elephants' qualifying campaign for the 2004 African Cup of Nations, a scoreless draw against South Africa. The friendly against Cameroon followed.

Playing in front of a crowd of 3,000 at Cameroon's Stade Gaston-Petit, the visitors went up 0-1 with a goal from midfielder Tchiressoua Guel in the 37th minute. Drogba claimed his first goal eight minutes later, doubling the lead right before the break. He was subbed out in the 63rd minute. Bonaventure Kalou then converted an 83rd-minute penalty to end the scoring at 0-3.

Drogba contributed three more goals that year, but Côte d'Ivoire failed to qualify for the ACN. Drogba went on to captain the national team and was named the African Footballer of the Year in 2006 and 2009.

19 August 2005 - Even Chelsea Has To Haggle Occasionally

On 19 August 2005, midfielder Michael Essien moved from Lyon to Chelsea. The £26 million transfer fee made him the Blues' record signing at the time and ended a three-month battle between the two clubs for the player's services. 

Chelsea first expressed interest in Essien in May 2005, the year Essien was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year. They offered £10 million, but were promptly rebuffed by Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas. In June, Aulas rejected a proposed swap deal involving recent Chelsea signee (and then-record transfer fee holder) Didier Drogba, joking that he'd be interested only if Chelsea had signed Samuel Eto'o or Adriano. By the end of June, Lyon rejected Chelsea's renewed bid of £16.75 million. 

By July, Essien publicly stated that he wanted to make the move, saying "I have made my choice. I want to go to Chelsea." In response, Lyon set a £31 million price tag on him, plus a demand for a player in exchange. When Chelsea failed to pay by the beginning of August, Aulas hinted that Manchester United were also interested in Essien. A few days later, Lyon rejected an improved Chelsea offer of £21 million, plus Portuguese midfielder Thiago Mendes. 

By 12 August, it was clear that Lyon could not persuade Essien to stay. The club announced that he would sign with Chelsea for a £26 million fee - £2 million more than the London club had paid to acquire Drogba from Marseille. Essien's record did not last long, however, as less than one year later, they purchased striker Andriy Shevchenko from AC Milan for £30.8 million. 

Chelsea's current record for most expensive signing was set by the acquisition of striker Fernando Torres from Liverpool in 2011 for £50 million. 

21 May 2008 - Chelsea's Trophy Slipped Away

On 21 May 2008, Manchester United defeated Chelsea in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow before a crowd of over 67,000. The match was the first all-English European Cup/Champions League final as well as the first one held in Russia.

The two teams entered the Final having finished the English Premier League season in the top two spots. United won the league, only two points ahead of the Blues.

United winger Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a header in the 26th minute. Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard then equalized in the 45th minute.

Chelsea carried the momentum into the second half, in which they continually pressured United. Michael Essien, Michael Ballack, and Didier Drogba all had good chances to put Chelsea ahead, but their shots just missed the goal. The teams ended the second half still tied at 1-1 and went into extra time, where Drogba received a red card in the 116th minute for hitting United defender Nemanja Vidić. The teams finished extra time still at 1-1 and advanced to penalty kicks.

United went first and, through nine kicks, the teams were tied at 4-4, with Chelsea keeper Petr Cech having made a diving save to keep Ronaldo's shot out. Chelsea defender and captain John Terry then stepped up to take what would have been the winning kick, but he slipped and sent his shot wide.

On the fourth kick of sudden death, United keeper Edwin Van der Sar saved Nicolas Anelka's kick, giving United a 6-5 win on penalties and the club's third European Cup trophy.

10 September 2005 - The Premier League's Most Pointless Run

On 10 September 2005, Chelsea handed Sunderland their record 20th consecutive Premier League defeat, a tally that stretched back to 2003.

The run of losses started against Everton on 18 January 2003 and continued through the remaining fourteen games of the season. Unsurprisingly, the Black Cats finished at the bottom of the table and were relegated to Division One. After two seasons in the second tier, they made their way back to the Premier League for the 2005-06 season.

But they had not left their losing streak behind in the intervening years and started the new season with losses to Charlton, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Wigan to bring the run to nineteen consecutive Premier League defeats. That brought up the game against Chelsea, who started their season with four consecutive wins.

Playing at Stamford Bridge, Sunderland fought hard to end their frustration and managed to go into the break level at 0-0. But they conceded second half goals from Geremi (54') and Didier Drogba (82') to push their losing streak to twenty games.

It ended there, as Sunderland drew their next match at home to West Brom, then they won the one after that, beating Middlesbrough 2-0. But another run of bad form followed and they finished the season at the bottom of the table again and were relegated for the next season.

9 May 2010 - Chelsea, Champions

On 9 May 2010, a record win over Wigan lifted Chelsea to their fourth league title and sent them on the way to their first Double.

It was the last day of the Premier League season and Chelsea were at the top of the table, but they had only a one-point lead over Manchester United, who had won the league for the last three seasons. Needing a win to secure the title, they were hosting Wigan at Stamford Bridge while United were playing Stoke City at Old Trafford.

Chelsea wasted little time in staking their claim to the trophy, going up 1-0 after only six minutes with a goal from Nicolas Anelka. Wigan regained their composure and managed to right their defensive ship for a time, but lost defender Gary Caldwell about ten minutes before the break when he fouled Frank Lampard in the box and received a straight red card. Lampard converted the ensuing penalty to put the Blues up 2-0.

With Wigan down to ten men and the hosts having one hand on the trophy, the second half was all Chelsea's.    They got a goal from Salomon Kalou (54'), another from Anelka (56'), and a hat-trick from Didier Drogba (63', 68' (p), 80'), before a final strike from Ashley Cole in the 80th minute sealed the 8-0 win. It was Chelsea's biggest margin of victory in a league game (later matched against Aston Villa in 2012) and also helped set the Premier League record for most goals in a season at 103, beating the previous record of 97 set by Manchester United in 1999-2000.

Chelsea went on to complete the Double that year, beating Portsmouth in the FA Cup Final on 15 May.

11 March 1978 - The Coming Of Didier

On 11 March 1978, Didier Drogba was born in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. He went on to become one of the world's dominant strikers.

Growing up, he spent many years living in France and it was there he started his professional career, joining the youth program at Levallois in 1996, then moving to Le Mans in 1997. In 1998, he signed a professional contract with Le Mans and played there for three and a half years, scoring a total of only 15 goals in 75 appearances before moving to Guingamp for £80,000 in the winter transfer window.

The move sparked his career. In his first full season there, he scored 21 goals, attracting the interest of Marseille who signed him for £3.3M in the summer 2003. After only one remarkable season at Marseille, in which he scored 32 goals across all competitions and was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year, he moved again, this time to Chelsea who paid £24M.

In eight seasons with Chelsea, he scored 157 goals in 341 appearances, making him the fourth-highest goalscorer in club history. He also collected a massive haul of silverware, including three league titles, four FA Cups, and one Champions League trophy.

Along the way, he also captained the Côte d'Ivoire national team and is their all-time leading scorer with 60 goals in 95 appearances.

After leaving Chelsea at the end of his contract in 2012, he spent a year with Shanghai Shenhua and currently plays for Galatasaray.

10 February 2006 - The Pharoahs Reign Again

On 10 February 2006, Egypt won their fifth African Cup of Nations trophy, beating Côte d'Ivoire on penalties, 0-0 (4-2). The match came forty-nine years to the day after their first win in an ACN match.

The two teams met earlier in the tournament's group stage, with hosts Egypt winning 3-1 on their way to topping the group. Côte d'Ivoire finished second to join them in the knockout rounds, where they upset Cameroon in a penalty shootout, 1-1 (11-12).

The final, played before a crowd of 80,000 at Cairo International Stadium, was not without controversy. After Côte d'Ivoire striker Didier Drogba missed a chance to win the match in regulation, Egypt had an 83rd-minute goal disallowed. Then, in extra time, Egypt won a dubious penalty kick for what appeared to be a fair challenge on Mohamed Barakat, but captain Ahmed Hassan sent his attempt off the bar and the match headed into penalties.

There, Hassan converted the first kick, while Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary saved Côte d'Ivoire's first kick, taken by Drogba. After Egypt's Abdel Halim Ali missed his attempt, El Hadary saved another to put Egypt ahead 2-1 after three kicks each. Emmanuel Eboue made his shot to bring the teams level, but Mohamed Aboutreika made the last kick for Egypt to claim the victory.

11 February 2003 - The Leader Of The Pack

On 11 February 2003, striker Didier Drogba scored his first goal for Côte d'Ivoire in a 3-0 rout of Cameroon. He is currently their top scorer with a total of 45 goals.

He earned his first cap the previous September when, at 24 years old, he appeared in the opening match of the Elephants' qualifying campaign for the 2004 African Cup of Nations, a scoreless draw against South Africa. The friendly against Cameroon followed.

Playing in front of a crowd of 3,000 at Cameroon's Stade Gaston-Petit, the visitors went up 0-1 with a goal from midfielder Tchiressoua Guel in the 37th minute. Drogba claimed his first goal eight minutes later, doubling the lead right before the break. He was subbed out in the 63rd minute. Bonaventure Kalou then converted an 83rd-minute penalty to end the scoring at 0-3.

Drogba contributed three more goals that year, but Côte d'Ivoire failed to qualify for the ACN. They finished as runners-up in 2006, however, and also qualified that year for their first World Cup. Drogba, meanwhile, now captains the national team and has become a prolific scorer, winning both the Premier League golden boot and the Ivorian Footballer of the Year award in 2007 and 2010.

19 August 2005 - Even Chelsea Has To Haggle Occasionally

On 19 August 2005, midfielder Michael Essien moved from Lyon to Chelsea. The £26 million transfer fee made him the Blues' most expensive signing in history and ended a three-month battle between the two clubs for the player's services.

Chelsea first expressed interest in Essien in May 2005, the year Essien was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year. They offered £10 million, but were promptly rebuffed by Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas. In June, Aulas rejected a proposed swap deal involving recent Chelsea signee (and then-record transfer fee holder) Didier Drogba, joking that he'd be interested only if Chelsea had signed Samuel Eto'o or Adriano. By the end of June, Lyon rejected Chelsea's renewed bid of £16.75 million.

By July, Essien publicly stated that he wanted to make the move, saying "I have made my choice. I want to go to Chelsea." In response, Lyon set a £31 million price tag on him, plus a demand for a player in exchange. When Chelsea failed to pay by the beginning of August, Aulas hinted that Manchester United were also interested in Essien. A few days later, Lyon rejected an improved Chelsea offer of £21 million, plus Portuguese midfielder Thiago Mendes.

By 12 August, it was clear that Lyon could not persuade Essien to stay. The club announced that he would sign with Chelsea for a £26 million fee - £2 million more than the London club had paid to acquire Drogba from Marseille. Essien's record did not last long, however, as less than one year later, they purchased striker Andriy Shevchenko from AC Milan for £30.8 million.

21 May 2008 - Chelsea's Trophy Slipped Away

On 21 May 2008, Manchester United defeated Chelsea in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow before a crowd of over 67,000. The match was the first all-English European Cup final as well as the first one held in Russia.

The two teams entered the Final having finished the English Premier League season in the top two spots. United won the league, only two points ahead of the Blues.

United winger Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a header in the 26th minute. Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard then equalized in the 45th minute.

Chelsea carried the momentum into the second half, in which they continually pressured United. Michael Essien, Michael Ballack, and Didier Drogba all had good chances to put Chelsea ahead, but their shots just missed the goal. The teams ended the second half still tied at 1-1 and went into extra time, where Drogba received a red card in the 116th minute for hitting United defender Nemanja Vidić. The teams finished extra time still at 1-1 and advanced to penalty kicks.

United went first and, through nine kicks, the teams were tied at 4-4, with Chelsea keeper Petr Cech having made a diving save to keep Ronaldo's shot out. Chelsea defender and captain John Terry then stepped up to take what would have been the winning kick, but he slipped and sent his shot wide.

On the fourth kick of sudden death, United keeper Edwin Van der Sar saved Nicolas Anelka's kick, giving United a 6-5 win on penalties and the club's third European Cup trophy.