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The big problem with Didier Drogba joining the Montreal Impact and MLS

The big problem with Didier Drogba joining the Montreal Impact and MLS

A 37-year-old striker is not the answer.

Bringing Didier Drogba to the Montreal Impact and Major League Soccer – a move that was completed on Monday – is a mistake because his arrival reinforces the European view of MLS as a retirement league where stars go to burn out. It does nothing to further the new reality of a growing league that has started gaining global legitimacy by attracting younger stars along with the steady stream of mature veterans.

Adding Drogba’s name to a season that will feature MLS debuts for Frank Lampard, David Villa, Steven Gerrard, Kaka and Andrea Pirlo seems like a terrific ending, but this piece does not quite fit in with the rest. Without a doubt, Drogba belongs at the same cafeteria table as the aforementioned list of accomplished professionals, but Drogba’s age and position make it hard to see the physical forward making any notable or lasting impact in Montreal.

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Sadly, no late career revival is forthcoming, and at his age, Drogba is no longer a 90-minute player. Furthermore, his playing style involves using pace that has mostly dissipated and strength that will only lead to more physical challenges (i.e. injuries).

Directly comparing Drogba to the other big signings, this move features short-term flash over long-term growth. Villa joined New York City FC at the age of 33, the same age as Kaka with Orlando City SC. Each player helped launch a new MLS franchise, as the World Cup winner and former Brazilian captain offered a half-decade of seat-filling global stardom. Adding Drogba would've been special four years ago.

Gerrard is 35, Pirlo is 36 and Lampard is 37, but all three are central midfielders. Playing in the middle of the park, they lend their influence on the ball far more often than an isolated striker like Drogba. While midfielders admittedly tend to log more miles and cover more ground per outing, Gerrard and Pirlo play styles of the game that are increasingly focused on maintaining possession while minimizing contact. Intelligent movement, quick short passes, searching long balls and an uncanny awareness of time that only comes from experience provide these players the extra space needed to remain effective while avoiding the routine crunching tackles that end careers at this late stage.

Would MLS have celebrated the arrival of a 37-year-old Thierry Henry? (AP Photo)
Would MLS have celebrated the arrival of a 37-year-old Thierry Henry? (AP Photo)

Going back to recent history, forward Thierry Henry retired from football and MLS at age 37 after he had completed four years with the New York Red Bulls. After a slow start, Henry found his groove, but even his technical ability and famous pace did not keep him on the pitch past 37. Would the Red Bulls and MLS have celebrated Henry arriving at age 37?

While there is nothing wrong with quality players crossing the Atlantic late in their careers, Drogba to MLS does not offer the same positive impact it would have a year or two ago. Likely, the Chelsea legend will sell jerseys, fill up more seats and possibly even connect with the French-speaking Montreal fan base. These gains should be short-lived at best. Seemingly, Montreal will need to find a replacement for Drogba within the next year, two at most. Otherwise, any gains experienced by bringing in Drogba could be lost as soon as they are found.

Montreal would have generated more long-term buzz by focusing attention on France international Andre-Pierre Gignac, who signed with Liga MX side Tigres UANL last month. Based on geography and schedule, Liga MX must be considered MLS’s direct rival. In one of the most surprising bits of business, the 29-year-old free agent chose Mexico over Europe and, consequently, over MLS. In Montreal and with MLS, Gignac could have provided a French voice on the pitch and in commercials. During the 2014-15 Ligue 1 campaign, Gignac scored more goals than Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani.

The targeting and signing of a player like Gignac, rather than a player like Drogba, would have fit MLS’s growing image of attracting and developing stars willing to increase their celebrity on the footballing frontier of North America. Sebastian Giovinco with FC Toronto and Giovanni Dos Santos with L.A. Galaxy serve as the best examples of this trend, but the return of players like Michael Bradley from Europe to MLS should not be discounted. Bradley, 27, Giovinco, 28, and Dos Santos, 26, offer MLS hope of attracting fans and creating stars that fuel the growth of the league on the field and on billboards.

A striker joining MLS at age 37 after showing serious signs of slowing down sends the wrong message of where the league stands and where the league wants to go. The old world belief that MLS simply serves as a retirement league only further propagates with Drogba landing in Montreal. As great as he was in the past – and he was one of the greatest – Drogba is not the future of the Montreal Impact or MLS.

Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports helping covering the beautiful game globally. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA and @perfectpass