In what is likely to prove his retirement announcement as well, Didier Drogba has confirmed to reporters after Montreal's match Tuesday night that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season.
.@didierdrogba announces he won't return to @impactmontreal in 2017: https://t.co/mabHPvIV2Y pic.twitter.com/WAbOjvjqRZ
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 23, 2016
It was Montreal's final home game of the season, with the away leg of their MLS Cup semifinal against Toronto coming up next week and then, should they advance, the MLS Cup final in either Seattle or Denver on December 10th. Concurrent with Drogba's announcement, the team released this wonderful thank you video on their official social media channels. Clearly, his announcement wasn't a surprise to them and they had planned ahead.
Merci Didier #IMFC pic.twitter.com/pKJHlEOLc3
— Impact de Montréal (@impactmontreal) November 23, 2016
Drogba joins fellow Chelsea legend Frank Lampard in apparent retirement from MLS at the end of this season, though I suppose there's technically a chance for either to return for next season with different teams. Or they could both begin their post-match careers, whatever obvious (i.e Chelsea) or non-obvious move that may entail.
With at least one, possibly two more games to go in his Montreal career, he 38-year-old Drogba stands on 22 goals in 38 MLS appearances, plus 1 goal in the MLS All-Star game playing against, that's right, Arsenal.