After years of “Didier Drogba to Major League Soccer” rumors, it seems increasingly likely that the Ivory Coast and Chelsea legend could be heading to MLS at the age of 37.
[ VIDEO: Chelsea lift PL trophy ]
Drogba announced his decision to leave Chelsea at the end of their title-winning season, as he will now look to play regularly in his final few years as a professional.
Speaking to the local press after the PL finale on Sunday, where he won his fourth Premier League title with Chelsea in his second-spell with the club, Drogba revealed that he has had plenty of interest from new teams after announcing his decision to leave the PL champions.
“Since I put it on social media (that I was leaving Chelsea) I was in the dressing room and I was receiving some calls from teams. Really unusual,” Drogba said. “But it was funny and interesting also because it really showed that maybe I can still bring something to a team. Yeah, it was funny to see this.”
Drogba was then asked directly if joining Major League Soccer, alongside his former Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard, was an option.
After years of speculation it seems like now is the time for Drogba to make his move to North America for one final hurrah.
Which club would like to pick him up? Simply put, Drogba would have a whole host of suitors in MLS as a goalscorer of his caliber -- Drogba has scored 263 times in 620 games as a professional so far -- doesn’t come along often. Yes, his age is a factor but if a team on the cusp of making the playoffs wants to guarantee their entry to the postseason then bringing in Drogba for the final months of the season would go a long way to rubber-stamping that.
After arriving in England with Chelsea in 2004 from Marseille, Drogba left the Blues in 2012 after leading them to UEFA Champions League glory. He then spent a brief spell at Shanghai Shenhua and then two seasons at Galatasaray before moving back to Stamford Bridge for the 2014-15 campaign to provide cover for Diego Costa. Drogba played 38 times in all competitions, mostly off the bench, and scored seven goals for the Blues under Jose Mourinho. Now, he wants to play regularly and moving to MLS would certainly provide him with that opportunity.
The age old debate of giving veterans from Europe’s top leagues one final payday over MLS youngsters getting minutes will come in to play here but the money you would generate from selling merchandise adorning Drogba’s name would, at worst, cancel out the DP money you’d be shelling out to get him.
Seattle and New York City FC are just two of the teams rumored to have been interested in Drogba in the past, as the Ivorian powerhouse will now rest for a few weeks before readying himself for the next challenge.
Will we see him in MLS this summer? Now, more than ever, it seems to be becoming a real possibility.
