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Drogba's life story in comic
From Tito To Drogba traces Didier Drogba's journey from modest roots in Ivory Coast to the summit of world football. Tito refers to his childhood nickname.
Paris - Didier Drogba walked at six months, left home at five and fell in love with the woman who was to become his wife at the tender age of 17.
Those are some of the landmark events covered in an account of the Ivorian footballer's extraordinary life about to be published in comic form in France.
Editions are also planned for Britain, where he is still idolised by supporters of his former club Chelsea; Brazil, where he is due to play in the World Cup later this year; and Turkey, where he now stars for Galatasaray.
From Tito To Drogba traces the 35-year-old's journey from modest roots in Abidjan to the summit of world football. Tito refers to his childhood nickname.
It was first published in 2012 in Ivory Coast, where he is revered as a lynchpin of the national team and a symbol of national unity - thanks to his detour into peace-making diplomacy when the country was teetering on the brink of civil war in 2006.
Born on March 11, 1978, Drogba moved to France at age five to live with his uncle, Michel Goba, a professional footballer, his parents calculating that it would give him a better chance in life.
Drogba has often spoken of how difficult he found his childhood years, the long spells spent apart from his parents and the upheaval of moving around as his uncle regularly changed clubs.
"It is a fun way to learn lots of things about me and to show young people that, if they do what I did, they can achieve their objectives," he recently told sports daily L'Equipe. "The most important thing is to show you can exceed your dreams."
The man responsible for the book is Gabin Bao, a 36-year-old Ivorian who spent years on the project, finally convincing the player's advisers it was a good idea.
His script for the book flirts with caricature at times in its emphasis on the role of hard work in Drogba's ascent.
"Some people say I've made him too perfect. But he is like that," Bao said. "He is very careful about his image because he has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders."
Part of the proceeds from the book sales will go to the Didier Drogba Foundation, which finances health and education projects in Africa.
Agence France-Presse
