Category: Football News

Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba once again failed to help his national side win an international trophy, as he missed a crucial penalty in the final of the African cup of nations.

Didier Drogba set off to the Africa cup of nations with Ivory Coast, who are one of the favourites to lift the title. This is not the first time Ivory Coast have been the favourites to win the African cup of nations, as they have been the same for a few years now.

Many expected them to lift the trophy this time around, which could be the last major tournament for Didier Drogba internationally.

The 34-year-old striker is coming to the end of his career. Despite being acclaimed internationally for being extremely powerful and able to score important goals, Didier Drogba has not been able to achieve any great success with this international team.

He has been responsible for a few eliminations from the African cup of nations over the last few tournaments. This time around, however, he has been a major influence in Ivory Coast making it into the finals of the African cup of nations against Mali.

Ivory Coast were the massive favourites according to the best betting odds.Didier Drogba received a great opportunity to put his side ahead in the finals against Zambia. However, he missed the 70th minute penalty.

Zambia later held on in the match to take it into the penalties. Astonishingly, the underdogs Zambia managed to stun Ivory Coast by winning the match in the penalty shootout.

Hence, Didier Drogba has to wait and watch another year in order to see his international team lift a major trophy like the African cup of Nations.

The African cup of nations, which is a biannual tournament, is going to be held next year only for the first time in successive years, ahead of a new schedule that works around the World Cup.

New Queens Park Rangers manager Mark Hughes has made Chelsea striker Didier Drogba his biggest target in January transfer window.

Hughes has been promised a transfer kitty of £ 30 million to save the club from relegation and take it to a respectable position, and the Ivory Coast international striker is his first choice.

According to reports, Drogba has stalled on talks of contract extension with Chelsea, leading many to believe that he is ready to leave the West London side, with which he has won three English Premier League titles for greener pastures. If he left Stamford Bridge, expect Chelsea’s best online Champions League odds to drift – without the big Ivorian up-front, the blues really lack a cutting edge.

Didier Drogba wants a new and improved two year deal with the side from Stamford Bridge but The Pensioners will only offer the 33 year old a rolling one year contract that has made The Drog look for a new home for one last pay day.

It was recently reported that new Paris Saint Germain boss Carlo Ancelotti, the former Chelsea manager, would meet the £ 100,000 per week wage demand of the striker and he was all set to return to France.

It was also rumored that Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua which recently signed former Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka would break the bank to reunite the two Chelsea players but the club has denied these reports.

Italian giants AC Milan were also in the running to sign the former African Player of Year but it seems that they have turned their attention to the wayward Argentine striker Carlos Tevez of Manchester City.

This leaves QPR with an open field, with only Tottenham Hotspur providing any sort of competition for the signature of Drogba. However, with Tottenham not willing to break their wage structure to sign the player, it seems more and more likely that Didier Drogba will end up playing for the other club from West London at Loftus Road.