Ballon d'Or: Didier Drogba Profile

DIDIER DROGBA Club: Chelsea Country:  Ivory Coast Age: 31 (DOB March 11 1978) Position: Attacker Previous Placings: None

Club manager Carlo Ancelotti wouldn’t swap Didier Drogba for any other striker in the world, and the 31-year-old is idolised by his countrymen after successfully leading the Ivory Coast to next summer’s World Cup in South Africa.

Drogba has enjoyed a blistering start to the 2009/10 campaign, with 16 goals to his credit for club and country already. Such explosive form has gone a long way to eliminating the memory of a poor 2008/09 campaign.

While his goalscoring record in 2009 is impressive, the perception of Drogba as a theatrical player with a petulant streak was only further enhanced this by his infamous rant at referee Tom Henning Ovrebo, after Chelsea’s unfortunate elimination in the Champions League semi-finals.

That outburst earned Drogba a three-match European ban, and will surely weigh heavily on voters’ minds when it comes to making their decision.

Attributes

• Nine goals in 12 Premier League games so far this season.
• Leadership and goals (seven) led Ivory Coast to World Cup qualification
• Infamous outburst after Champions League semi-final defeat to Barcelona lead to widespread condemnation
• 29 goals so far in 2009 (16 of those coming this season)

They Say

“I immediately think of Samuel Eto’o. He had an incredible performance last season. A lot of people might not think about him but his good display enabled Barcelona to be rated highly. We can therefore award him the trophy. He has what it takes to win the Ballon d’Or.” – Drogba, speaking to Ivorian newspaper Stades du Afrique.

““These are questions of political order. It would be easier for Eto’o or Drogba [to win the Ballon d’Or] if they were of a different nationality,” Patrick Vieira, speaking to French newspaper Le Figaro.

Prediction

It’s 14 years since an African player last won the famous trophy, with AC Milan striker George Weah dominating the voting. But Drogba’s chances will be severely hampered by Chelsea’s failure to win either the Premier or Champions League in 2009, and it would be a major surprise if the 31-year-old gets anywhere near the top three.

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