Didier Drogba only spent one season during his career at Olympique de Marseille. But what a season! During the 2003-2004 financial year, the Ivorian striker scored a whopping 37 goals in 61 matches, in all competitions. The Marseille club was well inspired by recruiting him from Guingamp for only six million euros.
A transfer which would have been facilitated at the time by Frank Leboeuf. “It’s still thanks to me that they made (Didier) Drogbarevealed the 1998 world champion in the columns of So Foot. Robert Louis-Dreyfus asks me: ‘Who would you take as center forward next year?’ I answer: ‘Dado Prso, and Drogba de Guingamp, monstrous, as strong as Thierry Henry’. (Didier) Deschamps (then coach of Monaco, editor’s note), to whom I had telephoned, told me no for Prso. And OM finally takes Didier, who makes the season for them. »
Drogba, OM’s second biggest sale
When Didier Drogba arrived in the south of France,
Frank Leboeuf had just spent two seasons in the colors of OM. “Robert Louis-Dreyfus wanted me to become general manager of the club in the second season. ‘No, I don’t want to end up in prison, leave me alone'”also confesses the former central defender, who then left for Qatar, Al-Sadd.
As for Didier Drogba, he allowed OM to achieve enormous added value. In July 2004, the native of Abidjan was transferred to Chelsea for an amount estimated at 38.5 million euros. To date, this is the second best sale for the Marseille club, after that of Michy Batshuayi, also sold to the Blues in 2014 for 39 million euros.
