Facts vs Feelings: Is Didier Drogba an African all-time great?

Didier Drogba is widely regarded as one of the greatest African strikers of all time for his contributions to Chelsea and Cote d'Ivoire. 

While his greatness generally cannot be questioned, the claim to his legendary status on the African scene could fall apart under further scrutiny.

Drogba scored 365 career goals, 65 of which were in the famous orange of Cote d’Ivoire. That makes him the highest goalscorer in Ivory Coast history and the third-highest in African football history.

With 65 goals in 105 appearances for his country, Drogba’s legacy should be rubber-stamped, but how did he fare in Africa’s premier competition?

Drogba scored 11 goals in his Africa Cup of Nations career totalling 24 games, which looks quite impressive at first glance. Samuel Eto’o (18), Laurent Pokou (14), Rashidi Yekini (13) and Hassan El Shazly (12) have scored more goals at the Africa Cup of Nations than Drogba.

The general feeling is that Didier Drogba was a mystically clutch being who always delivered when the occasion was biggest. 

That assertion is true for his Chelsea career – 10 goals in 10 finals – but the same cannot be said for his production on the African scene.

Drogba featured in six different Africa Cup of Nations tournaments between 2006 and 2013. In those six tournaments, Drogba played in two finals – the supposed big occasion for which he was best equipped – and he lost on both occasions.

Contrary to popular opinion, Drogba was not a superstar that was left down by his teammates. In fact, he was a big reason his team lost in both finals.

In the 2006 final against Egypt, Drogba missed two gilt-edged chances late in regulation time and went on to miss his penalty in the shootout.

Drogba’s penalty miss in the 2012 AFCON final was the only highlight of regulation time before they went on to lose to Zambia once again on penalties.

The next edition, South Africa 2013 which was his last, also ended in disappointment: this time a quarter-final exit at the hands of Nigeria in which Drogba ghosted again.

It is rather telling that Cote d'Ivoire won the 2015 AFCON following Drogba’s retirement, which suggests that he may have been the problem after all.

The truth is Didier Drogba was a fantastic player but his legacy on the African continent will forever be tainted by his failure to lead Ivory Coast’s golden generation to glory in six attempts.