Dar es Salaam. Former Chelsea and Ivory Coast national team star Didier Drogba has expressed his commitment to supporting the development of sports in Tanzania following high-level discussions with government leaders on preparations for AFCON 2027 and the growth of the sports sector.
Drogba said he is proud to have the opportunity to visit Tanzania and work with the government in exploring the best ways to raise the standards of sport and make it a key driver of youth and community development.
Speaking about his meeting with the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, he said:
“I am very happy to be here in Tanzania and to have the honour of meeting the President. I have been invited to see how I can contribute to AFCON preparations.”
Drogba said he sees Tanzania as a country making significant progress in sport, particularly due to increased government investment in the sector.
He added: “I visited Parliament and saw that the sports budget has increased. This is a great thing because sport is an important tool for development.”
Offering advice to Tanzanian youth, Drogba placed strong emphasis on education as the foundation of success.
He said: “Many people want to play football, but the most important thing is education. Education helps you become a better and more disciplined person, and it helps you sustain success.”
He continued by stressing the importance of self-belief and continuous learning, saying: “You must believe in yourself as I believed in myself. What helped me achieve success was education and constant learning.”
Reflecting on his personal journey, Drogba revealed that his path was not easy, especially due to early resistance from his family.
He recalled: “My father did not want me to play football… but I made sure I performed well in school. Education was my safety net.”
He added that his success was not about opposing his father but proving himself:
“It was not a battle against my father; it was a battle within myself to prove that I could make it.”
During his playing career, Drogba built a legendary reputation at Chelsea , scoring a total of 164 goals in all competitions, becoming one of the most feared African strikers in Premier League history.
Among his greatest achievements was helping Chelsea win the 2012 UEFA Champions League final, where he scored a crucial equaliser and the winning penalty.
He also won four Premier League titles and was a two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner.
Drogba also holds the record as Ivory Coast’s all-time top scorer, with 65 international goals, cementing his legacy as one of Africa’s greatest football icons.
