A man stopped war, Tébily Didier Yves Drogba

A man stopped war

TIME 100: The Most Influential People in the World

African Footballer of the Year: 2006, 2009

Tébily Didier Yves Drogba, known as Didier Drogba, is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Galatasaray in the Süper Lig.

He played football every day in a car park in the city when he was young with happiness. After playing in youth teams and professinal teams, In the summer of 2004, Drogba moved to Chelsea for a club record £24 million fee, making him the most expensive Ivorian player in history. In his debut season he helped the club win their first league title in 50 years, and a year later he won another Premier League title. In 2006–07, Drogba scored 33 goals, won the Premier League Golden Boot and scored the winning goals in both the League Cup and FA Cup finals. He won the FA Cup for a second time in 2009, scoring the equaliser in the final, and in 2009–10 was instrumental in Chelsea clinching their first double, winning his second Golden Boot and scoring the only goal in the 2010 FA Cup Final.

 But what makes Drogba special is Didier’s humanitarian efforts.  He is a class-act as a man, and that trumps the fact that he is a football legend.
Weeks before the World Cup 2006 in Germany, his native Ivory Coast was in a state of upheaval as civil war spread throughout his homeland. Drogba announced that he would not compete in the tournament unless the fighting would stop.  Quite a bold move when you consider the violence, and how he might just have put himself in the crosshairs.  The citizens of Ivory Coast responded to his request and put down their weapons.  Quite literally, he had the star power to make a difference, and did just that, saving countless lives along the way.  We will never know how many generations in Cote D’Ivoire owe their lives to Didier Drogba.

This week Drogba was at it again.  Pepsi endorsed him $3 million USD for his MVP role in helping Chelsea FC to a Champions League title.  Drogba had plans for the money, but they weren’t to buy a car or fund the purchase of a yacht or some other high-falutent purchase.  Rather, on the same day he received the money, he donated it, all $3 million, to help build a badly-needed hospital in his hometown of Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

These selfless acts prove his character.  He truly believes in helping others.  In the world today, I believe athletes in major sports are making way too much money, and as a result, I think it becomes increasingly important that they give back to their community. I wish more athletes, celebrities and CEO’s would give back to the community like Drogba has done, whether that is through financial contributions as Drogba has done, or by acting as role models for our children.  If they did, the world would be a better place.

source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didier_Drogba
http://lastwordonsports.com/2012/05/26/didier-drogba-more-than-just-a-player/