Drogba commits to Chelsea cause

Didier Drogba has signed a new three-year contract at Chelsea FC, a deal which will keep the Ivorian international striker at Stamford Bridge until 2012.

Pride
The 31-year-old, who joined the west London club from Olympique de Marseille in 2004, said: "I have decided to extend my contract with Chelsea and I am very happy and proud to continue to wear the blue of Chelsea until then." Drogba has scored 94 goals in all competitions for the Blues – ninth in the club's all-time goalscorers list – and was instrumental in their back-to-back Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006.

Ambition
"I am ambitious to pick up more trophies, regain the title, win cups – it's for this that I have extended my time at Chelsea," he continued, "but my number one objective is to win the Champions League. I am convinced that this year we can go to the end and finally lift this trophy." Having made it to at least the semi-finals in five of the last six seasons, Chelsea enter this year's UEFA Champions League at the group stage next month although Drogba is banned for the first three games of the club's European campaign.