Official: Didier Drogba joins China site Shanghai Shenhua

China football fans greet Didier Drogba at Shanghai

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Drogba finally agrees to join Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua in whopping £25m deal

Drogba snubs Europe's big guns to sign mega-money deal in China... but he'll lock horns with Manchester United again soon

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has signed with Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua on a two-and-a-half year deal along site with his ex-teamate at chelsea Nicholas Anelka.

It means Drogba will come up against Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League side's tour match on July 25.

Drogba had offers from a string of top clubs - believed to include Real Madrid - after leaving Chelsea on a free transfer last month.

Done and dusted: Didier Drogba is his new Shanghai strip

But he has decided to head to the Far East to see out his career at the same club as former team-mate Nicolas Anelka.

The 34-year-old is expected to earn around £200,000 per week at his new club.

He said: 'Today I can inform you that I have signed with Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua for a two and a half year deal. I will fly out to join up with the squad in July.

'I have considered all the offers I have received in the past few weeks, but I feel that Shanghai Shenhua is the right move for me at this time.

'I am looking forward to a new challenge and to experiencing a new culture, and I am excited about the new 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.'

Farewell: Drogba leaves Chelsea as one of the club's legends

Drogba, who scored the equaliser and then winning penalty in Chelsea's shootout victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final last month, left Stamford Bridge after his deal ended.

He became a legend during his eight years at the Blues, establishing a reputation as one of Europe's most fearsome strikers.

Drogba scored 157 goals in all competitions for Chelsea, finishing with 100 in 226 league appearances since signing from Marseille for £24million in 2004, one of Jose Mourinho's first major signings for the club.

He had an exceptional record in cup finals, scoring nine goals in nine different finals, including one in this year's FA Cup final victory over Liverpool.

In charge: Sergio Batista is relishing linking up with Drogba

Shanghai owner Zhu Jun said: '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.'

Shanghai's new manager Sergio Batista said: 'Drogba is a very good soccer player, his outstanding skills and amazing experience will give us motivation to improve our games.

'It is my honour to invite him to join in our team. At last I have to say that the club owner Zhu Jun did his utmost to bring Drogba to Shenhua.'

Ten things you should know about Shanghai Shenhua

1. Shanghai Shenhua was founded on December 10, 1993 and was one of the first professional football clubs in China.

2. Before 1993, they played under the name of Shanghai Football Club claiming back-to-back league titles and a Chinese FA Cup.

3. Shanghai adopted the name of one of their sponsors, a local club called Shenhua which means the 'flower of Shanghai'. Despite the club ending their sponsorship with "Shenhua" they still kept the name.

4. They won their first title in 1995 and in 1997 brought in high profile coaches such as Ilija Petkovic and Sebastiao Lazaroni in an attempt to improve team tactics.

5. In 2003, Shanghai won the last Jia-A League Championship before the championship was reformed. However, many people argue the legitimacy of the title after referee Lu Jun was later found guilty of accepting bribes to fix matches involving four clubs, including Shanghai.

6. In 2007, Zhu Jun, the owner of city rivals Shanghai United F.C., bought a majority share in Shenhua and began to merge the two clubs.
7. Shanghai have commercial and sporting partnerships with Atletico Madrid and Sydney FC.

8. Their goalkeeping coach is former Tottenham, Leicester and England player Ian Walker.
9. Notable former players include Brazil international Junior Baiano and former Middlesbrough striker Hamilton Ricard.

10. Shanghai made Chinese football history by becoming the first team to hire a foreign chief executive and technical director, appointing Osvaldo Gimenez and Stan Valckx respectively.

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