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Didier Drogba has announced this morning that he's retiring from international duty. The center forward had the following statement via his Twitter account:
— Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) August 8, 2014
As far as Chelsea fans are concerned, this move is pretty good news. 2015 happens to be an African Cup of Nations year, so the player retiring from international duty means that he won't be leaving the club this winter in order to lead the Ivory Coast to glory. Instead, he'll be available for Chelsea to select for that potentially congested stretch.
While the Cup of Nations has been an issue for Chelsea in the past, it probably won't have too much effect on the club this season. John Obi Mikel and Mohamed Salah are both locks to get callups if healthy, but guys like Victor Moses and Christian Atsu are likely to be playing for other clubs this season instead of Chelsea. Both Bertand Traore and Kenneth Omeruo are also locks to be participating if healthy.
Anyway, it's a sad day for Ivory Coast fans to see Drogba retiring.