By RYAN TOLMICH
After weeks of negotiations and navigating of MLS’ acquisition mechanisms, the Montreal Impact have their star forward.
The Impact announced Monday that the club has signed striker Didier Drogba after completing a trade with the Chicago Fire to acquire the former Chelsea star. A two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner, Drogba ranks fourth all-time in Premier League history with 164 goals while also adding 88 assists.
“It’s an honor to welcome Didier Drogba to the Impact,” said Impact President Joey Saputo. “From the first conversation I had with him, I felt that he really wanted to play in Montreal. This is one of the biggest days in club history and his arrival to the club will be beneficial in every aspect.”
Drogba’s addition reportedly came at a major price for the Impact, as reports released Monday state that the Canadian club paid a record fee of general and targeted allocation money to acquire the Ivorian from the Chicago Fire.
In the 37-year-old striker, the Impact receive a player with an impressive club and international resume, the latter of which boasts 105 caps, 65 international goals and three World Cup appearances.
“We are very excited and thrilled to add to our roster a player with an exceptional career,” said Technical Director Adam Braz. “He’s demonstrated his qualities as a striker at the highest level in Europe. His instinct in front of the goal, his experience and his leadership are all attributes that will help the team on the field.”
The Impact currently sit sixth in the Eastern Conference with at least a game in hand in all those above them.
The Fire wasted no time making use of the resources from the trade, using targeted allocation money to clear the way for the signing of Brazilian striker Gilberto to a Designated Player deal.
What do you think of the Drogba signing? How do you see him fitting with the Impact?
Share your thoughts below.
i agree with almost all of the comments but i don’t think mls is now becoming a retirement league. it’s just one player, imo it’s not a trend. let’s enjoy having the 6′ 2″ version of the 300′ version of Drogba, even if just for eighteen months.
Don Garber has named Drogba to the MLS all-star team.
Welcome to MLS grand-père Didier.
Depends is in ze aisle 4 and denture cleaners in se aisle 10. Sorry no Krispy Kreme or D&D just that Tom Horton crap
Tim Hortons is awesome.
Does this last year or two seem kind of like the old NASL?
Older “name” players being signed to sell tickets more than really building a team.
Key Information: What’s the expected timeframe to his first Impact appearance?
Mom….grandpa’s turned up in Canada!
So, in the past few weeks we’ve seen the signings of Dos Santos, Pirlo, Wright-Phillips and Drogba. Man this is fantastic, I can’t wait to see who’s next before the end of the transfer window!
Read this article. Drogba appears to be a quality individual and should be an exemplary individual and teammate. Nice signing for MLS and more the Montreal Impact. This is a great article written by Grany Wahl for SI. Really shows the quality person he is.
http://www.si.com/vault/2010/05/24/105940842/soccer-savior
thanks
Impact play on the counter, so Drogba probably plays as a target to hold the ball up and launch the counter. He’d really change the entire game. He likely remains unmarkable in the air, and Piatti serves a mean ball…
I think impact are lucky to get drogba. Does drogba know impact wont win MLS cup or the east and that the west is way better, I don’t think so.
Drogba could have easily gone to Seattle or Vancouver or some good team looking for a last puzzle piece but he gave impact a chance.
Same thing with Gilberto,he’s younger but does he know Chicago fire have a miserable owner and an old school coach,no.
I thought Gilberto would come back to fire and drogba was destined for red bull or cosmos.
The way it looks,the west is going to be crazy once the playoffs start and the east has gotten weirder with nycfc now looking stronger.
If you ask me, I think galaxy vs nycfc will be the MLS cup or sounders vs Columbus and the west will host.
Why would Seattle look to sign him? They need midfielders, not another dp striker.
Dont stop him, he is about to talk about the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor.
Montreal was close to winning champions league, but somehow DD has to go to a “real” team.
The Germans did not Pearl Harbor.
For one thing, they did not have the capability. Too far away.
Red eye,
Just a guess but French is the primary language in Montreal and I’m guessing that may have had something to do with Drogba’s comfort level.
One more addition to a league that hates being called a retirement league. What a joke.
ya, he isn’t in his prime but he is still better than a lot of forwards currently starting in the league and he will sell tickets in Montreal and every other stadium. Making money is good for the league no matter what as it will give owners more incentive to get younger and better players and pay them what they need to be paid to come to this league.
There is a big difference between players coming here for their last years than them coming after their last years are finished. Pirlo, Gerard, Lampard, Drogba are all old, but no doubt they have a couple of high level years left.
We are not talking about Donadoni and Reyna and others in the past who have come to MLS when they were already finished.
Not to mention the young guys like Giovinco, Bradley, Altidore, Dos Santos who are in their prime. The league is growing in a positive direction, for sure.
Donadoni wasn’t finished when he came to NY. He played for Italy in the Euros the year he joined the Metros. Matthaus, on the other hand…
Donadoni went back and started for AC Milan, after the Metrostars. An Italian star playing in MLS in his prime before it was cool. Amazing player.
word to Donadoni. But Zenga was fully after, correct?
Reyna’s body fell apart.
I don’t know how much that had to do with his age. If he could have gotten on the field he would have been fine.
.
No called the EPL a retirement league when Drogba went there from China. No bagged on Ligue 1 when Beckham went there from MLS. Calling MLS a retirement league is a tired trope that just needs to go away.
Tired tropes are not going away. This is US soccer. There will always be mackarals there ready to pounce on nothing.
BTW, I wouldn’t sign an old guy like that, but it isn’t a joke that Montreal did. They seriously want to win MLS and Champions league.
If you need a goal in the last 30 minutes would you rather bring on Alan Gordon or Drogba ?
lol +1
Drogba’s intl scoring rate is pretty crazy. 65 in 104. regardless of age, I am glad to have him in the MLS if only for the sheer chance to watch him play in person. everyone loves the Beckhams etc but Drogba and Zlatan have long been 2 of my favorite to watch. still holding onto the thought of Zlatan join the ‘Au’ Gang in 2017
Drogba is one week shy of being exactly four years older than Landon Donovan…
So what? Landon should be playing now. Pathetic that he retired.
In regards to club play, LD retired on his own terms. And as a MLS champ. I wouldn’t call that pathetic. But to each his own.
“Pathetic”??
Dude decided to step away when he didn’t want to do it anymore. If that’s “pathetic”, sign me up.
I guess that made guys like Barry Sanders and Jim Brown “pathetic”. When a dude is done and he’s created options for himself, that’s hardly “pathetic”… “Stealing” checks and playing half-heartedly would be the alternative. And that’s a real bad look…
Yanki- you mention two NFL running backs… a sport where retiring a few years early might have saved them decades off their life and their mental capacity. Soccer is different, especially as a 10, where experience, vision, timing, can make up for losing a half step in speed. He could have been an outstanding player for many more years. And sorry, it’s not the most incredible accomplishment to win a championship on a stacked LAG team where he wasn’t even one of the key guys. Maybe pathetic is a bit harsh, but compare him to aging, great international players from other countries, even those playing in MLS- Keane, Gerrard, Villa, Pirlo, Kaka… Talent- maybe, but no comparison when it comes to the mental side of being a pro footballer.
davy,
What do you suggest doing?
Holding his family hostage and threatening them if he doesn’t play anymore?
Davy, those guys still want to keep playing. LD didn’t. Shockingly, different people sometimes want different things in their lives. But, you’re right, they owe it to you to keep playing even when they don’t feel like it any longer.
Davy, thanks for articulating your points in your response the way that you did (as opposed to the way to typical, annoying “know it all” routine). Props to you, Playah.
We’ll just agree to disagree on our takes about whether or not Landon made a poor decision or not.
He appears happier. I hope that he continues to enjoy the next chapters of his post-playing life.
davy,
It is not pathetic.
LD didn’t want to do it anymore.
There is an old saying that if you are an athlete and you are thinking about retiring then you probably should retire.
Horse to water and all that.
Pathetic that some “fans” are so self-entitled that they think players owe it to them to keep playing when they don’t want to any longer.
I am not in the camp of Landon needs to retire on my timeline for him.
But he was still a heck of a good player at retirement. Winning MLS titles, starring in the World Cup…wait no, but still. He could have gone for a few years, but who knows? Guys like Keane and others waivering between injured and healthy constantly. For what?
To be even more of the best player ever.
There’s an old show business adage–Always leave them wanting more. Now for years people will be speculating on “what ifs’ about Donovan.
Which is why LD will always be a topic of conversation. I’d say we can all respect a person’s right to do what they want with their life. LD made his own decisions in pursuit of what he felt was best for him. Gotta respect that. But to be honest, as a sports fan–someone obsessed with soccer who wishes he could have played forever (which is what most of us probably are)–I can’t help but be royally ticked off at the decisions LD made. Drives me crazy. In other words, respect to LD as a person and much thanks for what he did for USMNT etc, but deep down, and to be clear, for me personally, I’ll always be ticked off at him. And that’s just the way it is. The curse of the professional athlete. You get paid the big bucks for the rest of us to live vicariously through you. When you’ve got all the talent in the world and you choose happiness over glory, well, you’re going to tick the sports fan in us off. Even if we completely respect you as a person. But, let’s be honest, I don’t read SBI every morning to nurture the soul, but to feed the sports beast.
He was a great player, and even at 80%, is still better than a lot of talent in MLS. However, I can only hope this was a one or two year deal. Gilberto to Fire to get him off the books, money to Fire from the Impact, Drogba to Le Impact. I think the Fire actually did better by not taking Drogba in this deal.
What about SJ??? They should have a big DP given their market and new stadium. Not sure what Drogba’s recent injury history has been like, but the guy is an EPL legend- one of the all time great target strikers. I just hope he can stay healthy in MLS and provide some magic moments.
Well, the Impact got an intriguing guy…dunno how much he has left in the tank, but he might make a difference in the playoffs.
Signings and money are escalating very, very quickly in MLS now. You gotta think that’s a good thing.
The star power is becoming very very impressive. MLS still feels too “top heavy” though, still too big a difference between the DPs and those at the bottom of the salary scale. Both in terms of pay and in quality on the field. Maybe this is the natural progression, MLS has to bring some star players first, then build up the middle…
Don’t worry, rising salaries will surely trickle down to the bottom
lol. Good one. But in this case it will. The lower payed players have more weight at the negotiating tables next CBA comes around. They will loosen the purse strings.
should’ve happened this time…
60k min salary for a professional athlete is a joke
I don’t know. Seems a pretty decent salary to play a game for a living.
You’re not taking into account how long athletes’ careers last. It’s certainly not as long as a conventional 9 to 5 career.
A couple of years ago it was like 32 or 35 k, can’t remember exactly. Once they hit 75 k, I think it will be fair for new kids. Remember too, there’s a great variance in the cost of living depending on where you are paying. I’m sure 60-k goes a lot farther in Columbus than in New York or LA.
Personally, I thought he was too old a year ago. I can’t see them getting more than 45 minutes per game consistently from him. I hope I’m proven wrong since he would be good for the league.