Didier Drogba Wants to Play in MLS

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That is, if his friend and international teammate Salomon Kalou is to be believed.

Yes, MLS fans have been burned before, but the rumours surrounding Didier Drogba and a move stateside have surfaced yet again. This time, it’s courtesy of Drogba’s former Chelsea teammate and current international colleague Salomon Kalou.

Kalou told Goal.com, “He loves America, he always goes there for holidays and it’s a place he always enjoys. For him to work there would be an amazing experience. I think that’s his goal and that’s where he wants to finish.

Sounds pretty convincing, even if Kalou is just a second hand source. But here comes the catch:

“He hasn’t told me directly, but he has told me that finishing in New York or LA would be amazing experience. I know that’s in his mind right now. He would love to finish there.”

Not concrete evidence, but it is progress. We’ll never know how truly close Drogba was to joining the LA Galaxy two years ago as a big-name replacement for the frankly irreplaceable David Beckham, but what we’re all more than familiar with is how he ended up moving to Shanghai Shenua and how disastrous that was.

“We offered Didier Drogba, great Chelsea player, over $10m a year to play,” League Commissioner Don Garber said at the time, speaking at the Bloomberg Sports Business Summit 2012. “It would have been the largest salary we’ve ever had in Major League Soccer, and he signed [in China] for €18m, net.”

“Didier is the type of guy who never goes to a place without making an impact. For him, going to MLS is a great thing because MLS is developing as a football league,” Kalou said. “I think having Didier in that league would give it an extra boost and continue to help the league develop.”

With the impending induction of New York City FC, plus the Galaxy’s past reputation, this is certainly news to get excited about – just not too much.

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