Will McDonough Writing Contest

         You stand on the pitch of the Allianz Arena in Munich. The crowd is restless to and the sweat is dripping into your eyes. As you walk towards the penalty area you hear the cheers and the jeers of the crowd. Half are trying to cheer you on, while the others will do anything to get inside your head. The referee hands you the ball and you try to set it up as perfectly as you can on the spot. You stare at Manuel Neuer, the opposition's keeper, and don't blink. You've already beat him once in the alotted 90 minutes but this is different. Nerves aren't a part of your agenda but this game, the biggest game in the world, it is almost impossible to keep your cool. Penalties are not your preferred method of scoring but you can't mess this up. This goal is a make or break situation. You either write your name in the history books with a goal, or forever dub yourself a villain for giving Chelsea the hope of a Champion's League title and then single-handedly snatching it away.

            The story of this widely known superstar is surprisingly not known to many. His full name is Tebily Didier Yves Drogba. He was born on the 11^th of March, 1978, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. At a young age he took up football and practiced in an empty car lot every day. When he was about 8 years of age, both of his parents lost their jobs. He was sent to live with his uncle in France, whom happened to be a professional footballer. After playing for many years on a local youth side, he joined the semi-professional Levallois. He gained a reputation for being a prominent scorer while on their youth team and not long after he was asked to join their senior squad. Drogba was then scouted by a professional team and he started his career as a professional footballer.

            Drogba started his career in the French second league for Le Mans. After two years at the club and a decent run of form in both seasons, he was scouted by a team in the premier French league. Drogba said goodbye to his first ever club and hello to relegation fighters Guingamp. In his first season at the club, his performance was hindered by several injuries. Only scoring 3 goals in the latter half of the year, the coach was reluctant to give him another first team chance the following season. The coach’s decision to give Drogba a chance paid off. Scoring 17 goals that season, Drogba carried the team to a seventh place finish, the highest league finish in the club’s history. After such an emphatic season for the young striker, it was hardly naïve to expect some lucrative offers for the Ivorian goal scorer. His impressive finishing did not go unnoticed by the biggest French side at the time, Olympique de Marseille. The French giants made a record breaking 3.3 million euro offer for Drogba. It was here that Drogba put himself on the map for some of the biggest clubs in the world.  Another magisterial season from the striker, scoring 19 goals, and winning the National Union of Professional Footballers Player of the Year award was enough to attract the global superpower that was Chelsea. With another record signing, this time of 24 million euros, Chelsea were clearly expecting big things from this forward. Words cannot describe how well Drogba proved to be worth every penny they paid for him. At this club he delivered 3 Premier League titles, a UEFA Champions’ League Title, and twice earned the Premier Legue Golden Boot. Drogba continues to play for Chelsea, a living legend, and will always be remembered as one of the world's best ever.