At 613 years of age, Didier Drogba is still going strong in the second division of American soccer. The Chelsea legend marked his USL debut with Phoenix Rising — a club he co-owns and now plays for — with a goal and an assist. The goal makes this the eighth professional club he’s found net with.
Here it is. pic.twitter.com/mAzWzJESJd
— Phoenix Rising FC (@PHXRisingFC) June 11, 2017
Doing what he does best, Rising above a defender (see what I did there?) and nodding home a powerful header past the Vancouver Whitecaps 2 goalkeeper who shall remain nameless except on the list of victims that Drogba has scored against in his storied career.
The Chelsea links don’t end there. His assist on the game-winning goal in the 2-1 win set up none other than former Blues winger, Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Old boys back at it @swp29 @ChelseaFC @PHXRisingFC #firstgame #rising pic.twitter.com/1P31C0Pa5G
— Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) June 11, 2017
Didier wore the captain’s armband for the match. If there was any doubt that he could still score goals and be effective, he says that Saturday night’s performance wasn’t even him at his best as he’s revealed he’s not even fully fit yet.
.@didierdrogba played a role in both of @PhxRisingFC's goals tonight -- and he's not even in peak condition yet. pic.twitter.com/rF5g7M00yx
— ABC15 Sports (@abc15sports) June 11, 2017
Once again, he’s rising above the competition and doubts to prove that age is just a number. Drogba will outlive us all and be scoring goals in the Qatari fifth-division after the apocalypse has come and gone.
On a more serious note, Drogba dedicated his debut win to the late Cheick Tiote, his countryman who tragically passed away last week.