Update: Didier Drogba denies he has decided to retire.
Original Story: Didier Drogba is set to make his third coming to Chelsea, but this one couldn’t be more different from the other two.
Drogba, 37, has decided to retire as a player and begin his coaching career, French magazine L’Equipe reported Wednesday, citing Canadian sources. Drogba will join Chelsea’s coaching staff under interim manager Guus Hiddink.
Major League Soccer’s Montreal Impact apparently will have been the final stop on Drogba’s playing career. He arrived in Montreal in July and led the Impact into the MLS Cup playoffs with one of the most rampant goal-scoring runs the league has ever seen.
But Drogba is most closely associated with Chelsea, with which he played nine seasons in two stints between 2004 and 2015.
Most expected Drogba to play for Montreal in 2016, but Chelsea’s firing of Jose Mourinho on Dec. 17 changed the Ivorian’s plans. Drogba on Dec. 19 watched Chelsea’s win over Sunderland from owner Roman Abramovich’s box at Stamford Bridge.
Drogba’s appearance sparked speculation over a potential return to Chelsea, and he, Chelsea, Montreal and MLS have been in talks over his future in recent weeks.
L’Equipe claims Drogba informed the Impact of his decision to retire in order to facilitate his move into the world of coaching … and perhaps management.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@FOXSoccer
