Chelsea legend Didier Drogba announced his retirement on Wednesday, ending his 20-year career.
The 40-year-old, who has been playing in the United States for Phoenix, had two spells at Chelsea, where he netted 164 goals in 381 appearances. He won Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the 2012 Champions League, while he is also Ivory Coast’s all-time record goalscorer with 65.
“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,” Drogba wrote on Twitter, while including a photo of him playing as a boy.
It all began at French side Le Mans in 1998, though he didn’t play topflight football until he was 23 when he joined Guingamp in 2002. A year later, he joined Olympique de Marseille and in 2004 he switched to Chelsea where he became the attacking focal point for the Blues under Jose Mourinho. He helped the club to win their first top-flight English title in 50 years.
— Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) November 21, 2018
At Chelsea, he won three Premier League titles during his first eight years as well as four FA Cup and two League Cups. He had spells in China and Turkey before returning to Chelsea where he won a fourth Premier League title and a third League Cup, leaving the club as their fourth highest scorer of all time.
Drogba played two seasons with MLS club Montreal Impact, leading the Canadian side to the Eastern Conference finals in 2015.
Drogba, who made than 100 appearances for the Ivory Coast and was voted African footballer of the year twice, ended his playing days with Phoenix Rising where he was a player-owner.