Drogba decided to leave Chelsea at the end of last season after scoring the winning penalty in the UEFA Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

The 34-year-old was linked with several clubs, and was reported to have attracted interest from the Middle East and Major League Soccer.

However, Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua were always favourites to land the Ivory Coast international, who has agreed a two-and-a-half year contract.

The ex-Marseille forward is looking forward to the new challenge and the move will see him reunited with former Chelsea team-mate Nicolas Anelka.

Zhu Jun, owner of Shanghai Shenhua FC, said: "We have been wanting to sign Didier for a while, and are very happy that it has finally happened.

"He is an incredible player, who has won so many trophies in his career, we feel that his experience and ability will be a very valuable asset to our squad. "Shanghai is one of the most influential cities in the world, and we are very excited to welcome Didier here."

德罗巴官网确认消息英文全文：

"I have considered all the offers I have received in the past few weeks, but feel that Shanghai Shenhua FC is the right move for me at this time," said Drogba.

"I am looking forward to a new challenge, to experiencing a new culture, and excited about the new developments in the Chinese Super League.

"When Chelsea went to China last year, we had a great time and I met some amazing fans.

"I hope to help promote Chinese football around the world and further improve the links between China and Africa.'"

【新闻快讯】

北京时间6月20日下午，前切尔西前锋，科特迪瓦球星德罗巴在其官方网站中正式宣布加盟中超上海申花队。魔兽年薪高达1200万欧元，他将和切尔西队的前队友阿内尔卡再次相聚。

申花队老板朱骏对德罗巴的到来表示热烈欢迎，他表示：“德罗巴是超凡的球星，他的加盟会给申花队带来极大的好处。”德罗巴现年34岁，他刚刚在上赛季欧冠联赛决赛中帮助切尔西队战胜拜仁慕尼黑队，获得欧冠冠军。

德罗巴在个人官方网站中表示：“我很高兴在今天确认与中超上海申花队签约。我与申花俱乐部签署了一份为期2年半的合约，合约将至2014年12月31日，我将在7月正式加入球队。”

“我认真权衡了最近几周提供给我的合约，我认为加盟上海申花队对我来说是正确的选择。我期待着这次新的挑战，期待着全新的文化，希望通过自己的努力提升中国足球和中国联赛的水平。当上赛季我随切尔西队来到中国，我度过了美妙的时光，感受了中国热情的球迷。”

“同时，我也希望我能够为推进中非友谊作出自己的贡献。”