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LONDON. – Former Cote d’Ivoire and Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has announced he will retire from professional football at the end of the 2018 United Soccer League season.

Drogba (40) is currently a player-owner for USL side Phoenix Rising and is in his third year in US football after arriving at Montreal Impact in 2015.

The two-time African Player of the Year winner puts an end to a career that began in 1998, at French club Le Mans but will be remembered for his iconic nine-seasons in the Premier League with Chelsea.

The Elephants all-time record scorer won 13 major titles in his two separate spells at Stamford Bridge and leaves a legacy as the top African goalscorer in both the English top-flight and the UEFA Champions League.

“It’s really a pleasure for me to play. I started late at the top level,” he told Telefoot. “I really enjoy playing. I like my role of owner-player a lot.

“I’m surrounded by a lot of youngsters, and I like passing my know-how on to them. But this season is the last. I’m 40, it’s time now.” – AFP.