Didier Drogba is still playing - and scoring - for second-tier Phoenix Rising in the US, where he has embarked upon a new chapter of his life off the pitch as co-owner of what he hopes will become a Major League Soccer team.
The 39-year-old former Ivory Coast international has maintained his desire to keep his boots laced, but admits he is at the end of what has been an incredible career, which includes a Uefa Champions League medal, four English Premier League titles and four FA Cups.
Drogba has eight goals in 12 starts for Phoenix Rising this year as the United Soccer League playoffs loomed this weekend for one of Africa's finest players.It is a far cry from Champions League finals and last-minute winners in the Premier League, but scale doesn't matter to Drogba as a smile comes across his face when he talks about playing, despite turning 40 next March.
THE BRAIN WASN'T IN THE SAME PLACE AS THE LEGS
"I'm having fun and that's really what keeps me playing because my teammates are great and I feel like a kid when I see the ball. I'm still a competitor," Drogba tells ESPN in an exclusive interview in Phoenix.
"I don't think that is something I will lose one day. The physique is okay so I carry on playing, but the fact is I enjoy more what I am learning about the other aspects, the other side [business] of the game, which is important."
Drogba has embraced his title as co-owner at Phoenix Rising and makes it clear that he would like a role in the boardroom once his playing days are over. But for now, he enjoys playing with the young stars in Phoenix and imparting his knowledge after two decades as a player...