Didier Drogba goes to China: he has signed for Shanghai Shenhua

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has signed for Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua on a two-and-a-half year deal. He will find former colleague Nicolas Anelka at the Chinese club. Drogba said: "I considered all the offers I have received in the past few weeks, but feel Shanghai Shenhua is the right move for me at this time." And then he added: "I'm looking forward to a new challenge and experiencing a new culture, and am excited about developments in the Chinese Super League.When Chelsea went to China last year, we had a great time and I met some amazing fans.I hope to help promote Chinese football around the world and further improve the links between China and Africa." Shanghai Shenhua owner Zhu Jun believes Drogba's arrival in July will help increase his club's reputation on the football map. "We have been wanting to sign Didier for a while and are very happy that it has finally happened. He is an incredible player, who has won so many trophies in his career. We feel that his experience and ability will be a very valuable asset to our squad. Shanghai is one of the most influential cities in the world and we are very excited to welcome Didier here," he said. Didier Drogba's last memory in the Chelsea shirt was scoring the winning penalty in the Champions League final defeat of Bayern Munich in May. He joined Chelsea from Marseille for £24m in the summer of 2004, as one of Jose Mourinho's first signings. He made his debut for Chelsea against Manchester United on 15 August, 2004. Then he scored his first goal against Crystal Palace, on 24 August 2004. He amassed 342 appearances for the Blues and scored no less than 157 goals. He won the Premier League in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2009-10, the FA Cup in 2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2011-12, the League Cup in 2004-05 and 2006-07 and the Champions League in 2011-12. He was the Premier League top goalscorer in 2007 and 2010. He climbed to fourth on the list of Chelsea's all-time goalscorers with his 157 goals and is also the club's leading scorer in European competitions with 34.