Didier Drogba: “My father never wanted me to play because my uncle had… “

Ivory Coast football legend, Didier Drogba, in a recent interview with Premier Bet, revealed his father’s refusal to support his passion for football.

His father, having learned from his brother’s (Didier Drogba’s uncle) experience, who ended his football career with lingering injuries.

“I had the opportunity to join football academies in France, but my father never wanted me to play football because, at the time, he didn’t see it as a viable career like any other.

With my uncle’s career plagued by injuries and difficulties, playing in the second division when salaries weren’t as lucrative as they are today, all these obstacles made my father opposed to me playing football. For him, it was either school or nothing, as his own success stemmed from his academic pursuits.

So, he insisted on that path. I thank him for pushing me, even though at the time, I didn’t understand and resented him a lot; it was tough,” confessed the Ivorian star.

Furthermore, in the same interview, Didier Drogba shared his greatest pride. “Winning the 2023 AFCON eased my regrets. It’s true that my biggest regret remains football-related, not being able to achieve one of my objectives with the national team, which was to win at least one Africa Cup of Nations.

Nevertheless, this regret was somewhat assuaged with the Elephants’ victory at the 2023 AFCON.

My pride lies in the fact that all my younger brothers who won the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations called me at one point to say, ‘Old man, we did it for you.’ That, to me, is my greatest pride,” he declared.