Ligue 1 club Guingamp have confirmed the signing of Isaac Drogba, the son of Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, as he follows his legendary father’s footsteps.
The 17-year-old, who has also spent time in the Chelsea academy, was unveiled by the French club on Monday, 16 years after they signed his father in an £80,000 deal from Le Mans.
“The recruiting unit of the Akademi EAG is very happy to record the signature of Isaac Drogba, son of Didier Drogba. Born in Vannes on December 15, 2000 and trained in Chelsea, he joined the U19 Akademi.
“We welcome Isaac and the full success of the EAG”, the club announced on their website.
And a beaming Didier Drogba, who plays for MLS side Phoenix Rising at 39 years old, could not hide his delight as he posted a photo of his son with his new shirt on Instagram.
‘Couldn’t be more proud of you,’ he wrote.
Former Chelsea team-mates Frank Lampard was quick to add his congratulations, commenting: ‘Congratulations! I remember Isaac as the small polite boy! Now a man!’
John Terry added: ‘Can’t believe how big he is mate, congratulations.’
It was during a solitary season with the Guingamp that Drogba Snr really burst onto the scene in France, earning a move to Marseille the very next summer where he would catch the eye of Europe by leading them to the 2004 UEFA Cup final.
Chelsea paid £24million to sign him that summer and the rest is history as far as the Stamford Bridge faithful are concerned. Four Premier League titles, four FA Cups and one Champions League followed in the ensuing nine seasons across two spells.