Drogba strikes twice in Shanghai

Didier Drogba opened his account for Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League on Saturday, while Guangzhou Evergrande faltered.

 The former Chelsea striker scored twice for the hosts but it was not before Hangzhou had taken the lead on seven minutes, an all familiar tale for Shenhua.

 However, their advantage was short lived as Drogba hit the back of the net two minutes later, his first since arriving from England almost two weeks ago.

 And Shenhua went into the interval with a 2-1 lead thanks to Feng Renliang's 34th minute goal. Sergio Batista's side then added three more goals in the final six minutes through Drogba, Giovanni Moreno and Joel Griffiths to extend their unbeaten run to six matches and they now occupy eighth position, five points clear of the drop zone and eight points adrift of third spot.

 It was not good news for league-leading Guangzhou Evergrande, who conceded a late goal to slip up 2-1 at third-placed Guizhou Renhe.

 Bosnian international Zlatan Muslimovic beat the keeper with ten minutes left on the clock in the first half but Evergrande levelled proceedings eight minutes later through Gao Lin.

 The match seemed destined for a draw before Renhe's Chen Jie hit the winner on 80 minutes, meaning Evergrande could possibly lose top spot before the end of the weekend with Jiangsu Sainty two points behind and scheduled to play Shandong Luneng on Sunday.

 In other results on Saturday, struggling Henan Jianye came from two goals down to clinch a vital point at Changchun Yatai, fourth-placed Beijing Guoan edged Dalian Shide 1-0 and Qingdao Jonoon climbed out of the relegation zone following a 3-1 victory against Liaoning Whowin.

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Barcelona rubbish Drogba rumours

Both Barcelona president Sandro Rosell and the former Chelsea striker's agency have denied that Didier Drogba will join the Spanish club.

 Drogba has recently been spotted in Barcelona prompting speculation he could leave Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, who he only just joined a week ago, for the 21-time La Liga champions. But Rosell has denied any knowledge of Drogba in Barcelona. 

I don't know anything about Drogba," Rosell said on Tuesday. "If he's here it's because he's here for holidays apart from that I don't know anything else. 

Drogba inspired Chelsea to a shock victory over Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals last season. 

 But the 34-year-old's representatives, The Sports PR Company, have backed up Rosell's claims and flatly rejected that Drogba was on the way to Catalonia. 

He will not sign for Barcelona," a representative of The Sports PR Company said. 

 "What kind of clause would that be? "Do you really think that Shanghai would accept a clause where he could leave for free?"

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Mata tells Drogba: 'It's been a pleasure to play with you'

The 24-year-old Spaniard has today tweeted his message of thanks to the departing Ivorian striker who yesterday agreed a move to Shanghai Shenhua link up with Nicolas Anelka.

 The Ivorian will link-up with ex-team-mate Nicolas Anelka, who made the same move to China in January.

 Drogba was an influential figure during his seven years at Chelsea and won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League with the west London side.

 Mata, who spent just one season with Drogba, used his Twitter account to send the 34-year-old his best wishes.

 Mata wrote: "It's been a pleasure to play with you, thanks for everything you've given to us. 

Wish you the best!" Mata, who also posted a photo of himself with Drogba, enjoyed Champions League glory in his debut season at Stamford Bridge thanks in no small part to the goals the striker scored on the way to the final.

 Drogba grabbed crucial strikes against Barcelona and Napoli before equalising against Bayern Munich and netting a famous spot-kick to guide the Blues to their first ever Champions League title.

 Despite being linked with big money moves across Europe, Drogba decided to sign for the Shanghai club.

 He told reporters: "I considered all the offers I have received in the past few weeks, but feel Shanghai Shenhua is the right move for me at this time.

" One of Drogba's first games for his new club will see him come up against familiar opponents when Manchester United play the Chinese side during their pre-season tour of Asia.

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Drogba hails Di Matteo as Chelsea's most memorable manager after Champions League win

Didier Drogba has hailed Roberto Di Matteo as his most memorable manager at Chelsea after the Italian guided the Blues to Champions League glory in the striker's last game with the club The striker has not renewed his deal at Stamford Bridge and is reportedly closing in on a move to Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua where he would join ex-Blues team-mate Nicolas Anelka. 

 The Ivorian has recalled his time at the club during a promotional visit to India, and revealed that of all his managers at Chelsea it is Di Matteo's achievement that will be remembered most. "I think we have had so many managers and all of them brought something special to Chelsea.

 All of them, I think, were part of our success," he said. "When [Jose] Mourinho came, he built up the spirit that we kept all these years.

 When Carlo Ancelotti came, he also brought another way of playing and thinking. So, it’s difficult to choose one. "The most remembered would be Roberto Di Matteo for winning the Champions League.

 The club was waiting for that." Di Matteo signed a two-year permanent deal at Stamford Bridge recently after winning the FA Cup and European Cup after his taking over from Andre Villas-Boas, and Drogba admitted the win against Bayern Munich, in particular, was an unforgettable experience.

 "Playing in the final was amazing. 

You have to be there at the Allianz Arena to feel the atmosphere," said the Ivory Coast international as he recalled the win. "It was like a dream, you know. 

The scenario was like an Alfred Hitchcock movie. "There was lots of disappointment and sadness when we conceded a goal.

 A few minutes later, we equalised and then it went to the penalties.

 "It was like a lottery but when I had the chance to score from the penalty, I went through a gamut of emotions from the time I started walking to the penalty spot.

 "Many things came to my head but I tried to stay calm and score for my friend Petr Cech, who had been amazing that day, saving three penalties.

" The Blues endured criticism for their defensive approach on their way to the final against Benfica and then Barcelona, but the 34-year-old insisted this would not detract from the team’s achievements. "There is more than one way to win in football. Barcelona and Manchester United have their own playing style and we, in Chelsea, have our own.

 Of course, we have to please our fans," he responded. "The beauty about football is that you can always improve. "The Champions League win was important for Chelsea because people have been saying that Chelsea will try but nothing much will happen.

 We had been trying for eight years and reached the final before. This time we managed to win it."

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Official : Drogba signs contract deal with Shanghai Shenhua; becomes China’s most expensive football player

Chelsea star player, Didier Drogba has signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Chinese football club, Shanghai Shenhua.

 The deal is reportedly worth €12 million-a-year and will make him the most expensive player in the Chinese Super League.

This means Drogba will make 250,000 euros a week, far surpassing his former salary at Chelsea FC. Drogba’s debut is slated for July 14 against Beijing Guoan.

 The Ivorian icon chose Shanghai, despite receiving interest from Real Madrid, Anzhi, Marseille and Tottenham.

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Drogba closing in on China switch as Shanghai Shenhua confirm advanced talks

Didier Drogba has entered the final stages of negotiation with Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua ahead of his much-anticipated move to the Far East.

 The striker left Chelsea at the end of the season, signing off with the decisive penalty in the Champions League final, but hopes to continue playing for at least two more season.

 Drogba has been linked with Real Madrid - joining up with former boss Jose Mourinho - and Dubai-based club Al Wasl.

 However, according to local media reports, Shenhua are in the driving seat with talks now at an advanced stage.

 Should Drogba make the switch to China, he will join up with former Chelsea team-mate Nicolas Anelka.

 The speculation was firmed up by the club's manager, Sergio Batista, on Thursday.

 He said: 'The possibility of Drogba coming is still relatively large. I believe the club's management is still in contact with Drogba.' Shenhua sit ninth in the 16-club Chinese league.

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Didier Drogba named Cote D’Ivoire player of the year

Didier Drogba has been named Cote D’Ivoire player of the year, beating Manchester City's Yaya Toure and Levante's Arouna Kone in a poll of local sports journalists and Internet users.

 The Chelsea forward collected 110 votes from journalists and 17,863 online, totalling 37.69 per cent of the vote, while African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure finished on 30.16%, with the former Sevilla forward completing the top three with 12.29%.

 Drogba claimed the accolade for the second time, after first scooping the honour in 2007.

 The Elephants captain contributed to the team's run to the final of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, held in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. However, he did miss a crucial penalty kick against Zambia in the showpiece.

 The 34-year-old, who announced his decision to leave Stamford Bridge in May, scored Chelsea's equaliser and the decisive penalty against Bayern Munich to clinch the Champions League at the Allianz Arena.

 Former winners of the Sport Ivoire Award are Kolo Toure (2006), Drogba (2007), Yaya Toure (2008 and 2009) and Gervinho (2010 and 2011).

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Drogba to quit international football

Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba has revealed that he intends to retire from international football after World Cup 2014.

The 34-year-old believes that since winning the Champions League with Chelsea, he now had little to achieve in the footballing world, with a lasting impact for the Elephants the only task left.

At a press conference in Abidjan on Thursday ahead of the qualifier against Tanzania, Drogba said he would do his best to help the team reach the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and leave a memorable legacy because it will be the last time local fans will see him in the Ivorian jersey.

"I'm certainly living my last days with the national team, and the match against Tanzania on Saturday will be one of my last games here at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium," Drogba said.

"However, I'll do my best to leave something memorable for fans, and after the 2014 FIFA World Cup, I think I'll be quitting international football for good."

The striker also revisited their failure to win the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, which Zambia scraped on penalties.

"It's true winning the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea brought much joy to Ivorian fans, but it cannot blot out the nightmare of February 12 in Libreville (Gabon), the day we bitterly lost the 2012 Afcon to Zambia. It is still very fresh and hurting. We hope to make up for it in the upcoming edition," he said.

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