Final fling: Didier Drogba has an international record to be proud of having scored 41 goals in 60 appearances for Ivory Coast

Drogba has been fiercely proud whenever he was donned the orange strip of his national side.

When the Ivory Coast came from 2-0 down to beat Serbia 3-2 in their final group game at the 2006 World Cup, Drogba was watching from the sidelines following suspension but was still seen celebrating wildly with his team-mates in the dugout at the final whistle.

The country could not qualify for the knockout phase but the striker felt, he told German television, that the team had done Africa proud.

This World Cup qualifying campaign has been marred by the tragedy of a stadium collapse in Abidjan. But one look at the strength of the Ivory Coast's line-up - Salamon Kalou, the Touré brothers, Yaya and Kolo, plus Galatasaray's Abdul Keïta - indicates that Drogba could be about to leave an indelible mark on the international stage.