Chelsea striker Didier Drogba says his junior years in France were crucial for him.
His first amateur club Levallois have named their ground after him, understandable after the fourth-tier side received a cheque for 700,000 euros from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich when Drogba signed in 2004.
Drogba was 21 when he signed his first professional contract at Le Mans.
And he did not really start to blossom until the 2002-03 season when he hit 17 goals in 34 appearances for Ligue 1 side Guingamp. The following year he joined Marseille in a £3.3m deal and 12 months later was signing for Chelsea for more than seven times that amount.
Drog said: "I'm very proud of what I have achieved and I'll never forget the people here.
"My four years at Levallois were the most important of my career, this is where I learned all my values in football.
"This club helped me build my career and it's why I'm playing at such a high level today at Chelsea.
"I want the children here to know Didier Drogba started here with nothing but succeeded - and so can they.
"This is a fantastic facility so instead of going on to the street doing bad things, they can come here and play football and try to do good things."
