DIDIER DROGBA - IVORY COAST

Date of birth: March 11, 1978
Birthplace: Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Club: Chelsea (England)
Position: Striker
International debut: September 2002 vs. South Africa

Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o won the 2005 African player of the year award, but he would trade that honour in a minute for a chance to play in the 2006 World Cup.

Striker Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast finished second in voting behind Eto'o, but unlike his Cameroonian counterpart, he'll get a chance to showcase his immense talent to the entire world in Germany.

A star striker with English Premiership champions Chelsea, Drogba is equally adept at using his height to score with his head or his quick feet to breeze past defenders before blasting the ball into the net.

Drogba led Ivory Coast in scoring during the qualifying round and, as one of the best African soccer players in the world today, he is of paramount importance to his national team.

The nephew of Michel Goba, a former French league player, Drogba lived with his uncle in France and signed with a second-division club when he was 15.

Drogba made his pro debut as a 19-year-old in 1999 for Le Mans, scoring a respectable seven goals. Injuries sidetracked his career for the next two years, but first-division side Guingamp saw great potential in the African and signed him in 2002.

In his only full season with Guingamp, Drogba exploded for 17 goals and helped the club finish a respectable seventh in the league standings. His outstanding form led Olympique Marseille, one of France's biggest teams, to sign him in 2003.

Drogba struggled at first for Marseille, but he quickly turned things around, scoring 18 goals and helping the side reach the finals of the UEFA Cup. He was also voted the French league player of the year.

But as before, Drogba was on the move to a bigger club. London side Chelsea, backed by the mega-bucks of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, paid a team record 24 million pounds to bring the African striker to England in 2004.

Drogba made a big impression in the English Premiership, scoring in his third game for the club, but ended up missing two months of action due to injury. Despite the layoff, he still managed to score 16 goals and helped Chelsea win its first league title in 50 years.

This past season he scored 12 goals as Chelsea repeated as English champions, but Drogba routinely received criticism in the press for his inconsistent play and his propensity for diving to draw penalties.

Drogba made his debut for the Ivory Coast's national team in 2002, although he's really made his mark for his country the last two years. He scored nine of his country's 20 goals in the qualifying round as the Ivory Coast earned its first-ever World Cup berth.

He also captained the Ivory Coast at the 2006 African Nations Cup in January, scoring the winning goal in the quarter- and semifinals. Drogba lost his scoring touch in the final, though, as he failed to score in a dramatic penalty shootout loss to Egypt.