In , Drogba was named Chelsea's greatest ever player in a poll of 20, fans conducted by Chelsea Magazine. In , he was named in the Chelsea team of the β decade. Drogba was named African Footballer of the Year twice and After playing in youth teams, Drogba made his debut into football at the age of 21 for Ligue 2 club Le Mans. After finishing the β03 season with 17 goals in 34 appearances for Ligue 1 side Guingamp , he moved to Olympique de Marseille , where he finished as the third highest goalscorer in the β04 season with 19 goals and helped the club reach the UEFA Cup Final.
In his debut season, he helped Chelsea win their first league title in 50 years along with another Premier League title a year later. In March , he became the first African player to score Premier League goals. Drogba returned to Chelsea in July Drogba became a player and owner of Phoenix Rising in the United Soccer League in and retired a year later at the age of Drogba made his debut for Ivory Coast in and became the captain in He is the nation's all-time top goalscorer with 65 goals in appearances.
On 8 August , he announced his retirement from international football. Drogba played a vital role in solving issues in his home country and in Africa. However, Drogba soon became homesick and returned to Abidjan after three years. Both of his parents lost their jobs and he again returned to live with his uncle. Drogba then joined the semi-professional club Levallois , gaining a reputation as a prolific scorer in the youth team and impressing the coach with his professional attitude.
His performances earned him a place in the senior squad but despite scoring in his debut, the year-old Ivorian failed to make an impression on Jacques Loncar, the first team coach. When Drogba finished school he moved to the city Le Mans to study accountancy at university and changed clubs, becoming an apprentice at Ligue 2 club Le Mans. However, his first two years there were marred by injuries and he was physically struggling to cope with the training and match schedule.
Furthermore, Drogba had never attended a football academy and only began daily football training as an adult. By age 21, Drogba realised that he had to establish himself as a player soon or else he would have little chance of becoming a professional footballer. The same year, he and his Malian wife Alla had their first child, Isaac. He grew into his new responsibilities, later stating: "Isaac's birth was a turning point in my life, it straightened me out".
