Football | Barclays Premier League
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Didier Drogba brought down the curtain on a trophy-laden career at Chelsea on Tuesday when he announced he would be leaving the club after eight years in West London.
The Ivory Coast striker will leave when his contract expires at the end of June and is now odds-on to follow his former teammate Nicolas Anelka to China.
He leaves the club on a high after a starring role in Saturday's Champions League final when he scored an emphatic late headed equaliser before coolly slotting home the decisive penalty in the shootout.
It capped a glittering period at Stamford Bridge where he also won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups.
"I wanted to put an end to all the speculation and confirm that I am leaving Chelsea," Drogba said on the club website (www.chelseafc.com).
"It has been a very difficult decision for me to make and I am very proud of what we have achieved but the time is right for a new challenge for me."
Drogba, 34, joined Chelsea from Olympique Marseille in 2004. His menacing physicality was ideally suited to the fast-paced hubbub of the Premier League.
He found goals easy to get, scoring 157 times in 341 appearances, making him the club's fourth all-time leading scorer, while his 34 European goals are a Chelsea record.
He won the Premier League Golden Boot twice, most recently in 2010, but his Chelsea career appeared to be coming to an end when the club signed Fernando Torres for a British record fee of 50 million pounds ($79.01 million) in January 2011.
Former manager Andre Villas-Boas tried unsuccessfully to re-invigorate his team by phasing out Chelsea's older players, with Drogba and midfielder Frank Lampard his principal victims.
The Ivorian striker frequently found himself sidelined to accommodate a below-par Torres who struggled to make an impact following his big-money move.
The departure of Villas-Boas, however, led to a renaissance for Chelsea's 'old guard' who helped to propel the club to a golden finale in which Drogba featured prominently.
On top of his Champions League heroics, he also scored in the FA Cup final as Chelsea beat Liverpool at Wembley.
"Didier is undoubtedly a Chelsea legend and will always be part of the Chelsea family," Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said.
"He is certainly leaving on a high after Saturday night but he feels the time is right for a new challenge.
"We have known for some time that this outcome was likely but Didier and the club only made a final decision on that in the last couple of days, because for obvious reasons neither Didier nor the club wanted to distract focus away from the Champions League final.
"The talks were amicable all the way through and we wish him all the best for the future. He is welcome back to Stamford Bridge at any time - either as a player or as a guest of ours."
Drogba has been linked with a move to Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua where he would join up with former Chelsea teammate Anelka who left Stamford Bridge in January.
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Didier Drogba kushushwa pazia katika kazi nyara unazidi Chelsea siku ya Jumanne wakati alitangaza angekuwa akiondoka baada ya miaka nane katika West London.Ivory Coast mshambuliaji kuondoka wakati mkataba wake unamalizika mwisho wa Juni na sasa ni tabia mbaya-on kufuata teammate wake wa zamani wa Nicolas Anelka na China.Majani na klabu cha juu baada ya jukumu nyota katika Mabingwa wa Jumamosi ya mwisho wa Ligi wakati yeye alifunga emphatic marehemu iliyoongozwa kusawazisha kabla ya coolly slotting nyumbani adhabu maamuzi katika mikwaju.Ni capped kipindi umeremetao katika uwanja wa Stamford Bridge ambako pia alishinda tatu vyeo Ligi Kuu, nne vikombe FA na vikombe viwili Ligi."Nilitaka kukomesha uvumi wote na kuthibitisha kwamba mimi kuondoka Chelsea," alisema Drogba kwenye tovuti ya klabu "Imekuwa ni uamuzi vigumu sana kwa mimi kufanya na mimi ni fahari sana ya nini tuna mafanikio lakini wakati ni haki kwa changamoto mpya kwa ajili yangu."Drogba, 34, alijiunga Chelsea kutoka Olympique Marseille mwaka 2004. Physicality yake alikuwa walau inafaa kwa hubbub haraka-paced ya Ligi Kuu.Akakuta malengo rahisi kupata, akifunga mara 157 katika mechi 341, na hivyo kumfanya klabu ya nne kwa muda wote kuongoza mabao mengi, wakati wake 34 malengo ya Ulaya ni rekodi ya Chelsea.Yeye alishinda Ligi Kuu ya Golden Boot mara mbili, hivi karibuni mwaka 2010, bali ni yake Chelsea kazi alionekana kuwa unakaribia mwisho wakati klabu saini Fernando Torres kwa ajili ya ada rekodi ya Uingereza ya paundi milioni 50 ($ 79,010,000) ya Januari 2011.Meneja wa zamani Andre Villas-Boaz walijaribu bila mafanikio upya invigorate timu yake na kumalizika nje Chelsea wachezaji wakubwa, pamoja na Drogba na kiungo Frank Lampard waathirika wake mkuu.Mshambuliaji wa Ivory Coast mara kwa mara alijikuta wamebaguliwa kwa ajili ya malazi Torres chini-par ambao walijitahidi kufanya madhara kufuatia hoja yake big-fedha.kuondoka kwa Villas Boaz-, hata hivyo, wakiongozwa na mwamko kwa ajili ya 'walinzi wa kale wa Chelsea ambaye alisaidia propel klabu ya finale ya dhahabu ambayo Drogba featured maarufu.Juu ya Mabingwa yake heroics ligi, pia alifunga bao katika Kombe la FA mwisho kama Chelsea kuwapiga Liverpool Wembley.
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