H Metro

Drogba’s girlfriend dazzles in crowd

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DIDIER DROGBA’S girlfriend stole the show as she sat alongside the legend to watch Cote d’Ivoire seal Africa Cup of Nations glory.

The Chelsea icon’s country took on the Super Eagles Sunday night on home soil.

Drogba, now 45, ensured a rollercoas­ter night as he watched the country he scored 65 times for come from behind to beat Nigeria 2-1.

And just like any forward will tell, it always helps if you have a good partner alongside you.

The beautiful Gabrielle Lemaire was spotted with Drogba in the stands numerous times by the TV cameras throughout the game.

Then she shared a selfie taken from inside the Stade Alassane Ouattara-Ebimpe.

However, after trailing 1-0 at the break, Drogba did leave her side as he raced away in celebratio­n after Franck Kessie equalised in the 62nd minute.

And it no doubt got even wilder when Sebastien Haller put them ahead with just nine minutes to go.

It is not the first time that we have seen the star with his long term girlfriend.

He and Gabrielle went public in early 2022, when they attended a Formula E race together in Saudi Arabia.

And he has regularly posted pictures of them enjoying their time together since on social media.

Their relationsh­ip came after Drogba announced his split from his now ex-wife Lalla Diakite in January 2021 after 10 years of marriage.

Having met in the late 1990s, the pair wed in 2011.

Drogba took to Instagram at the time to explain their marriage had come to an end with a statement that read: “I’m not in the habit of discussing my private life.

“But, because of speculatio­n in the media today, I can confirm that sadly, after 20 years together, Lalla and I took the difficult decision to separate last year.

“We remain very close, and our main priorities have been to protect our children and our family’s private life. May God bless you.”

They had three children together, two sons - Issac and Kieran — and a daughter called Iman.

Issac has followed his father into the world of sport, and is also a footballer.

Meanwhile, stunning new girlfriend Gabrielle is a big success in her own right.

According to her Instagram profile she is an entreprene­ur, and CEO of Barons Agence Consil En Communicat­ion.

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