But not to play football

Apr 9, 2008 16:55 GMT  ·  By

Didier Drogba, the famous Chelsea FC football player, signed today a new contract with Samsung, according to ITWeb. Of course, Drogba will not play football for the South Korean company (as footballers do after signing contracts), but he will be Samsung's brand ambassador for Africa.

The news must not come as a surprise, as you probably know that Samsung is currently one of Chelsea FC's official sponsors, and the company's logo appears on the Premiere League team's t-shirts.

Following the agreement between him and the South Korean company, Didier Drogba will promote Samsung's phones, and will also appear in Samsung's advertising campaigns.

Chi Won Suh, CEO of Samsung Middle East and Africa region, said: "Extending our association with Chelsea FC, we are now thrilled to partner with Drogba as Samsung's brand ambassador."

Mr. Chi Won Suh further complimented both the Chelsea FC star-player and the African continent, saying: "Africa is a key market for Samsung Electronics, with immense growth potential, and we are confident that our association with an internationally and locally acclaimed football star like Drogba will bring us closer to the football loving population throughout the African continent."

Born in Abidjan, the largest city in Ivory Coast (or Cote d'Ivoire), Didier Drogba rose to worldwide fame when playing in France, for Olympique de Marseille. In 2004, Drogba signed with England's Chelsea, one of the richest football clubs in the world, and has been, since then, one of the most well-known African football players.

Back to mobile phones (because that's what we're interested in, after all), Africa is the continent with the lowest mobile penetration rate, mainly because the majority of its countries have struggling economies. The only states, from a total of more than 50, where cell phones are widely used, are South Africa, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Nigeria. Even so, Africa will play an important role in the future of the mobile industry, and apparently Samsung has already acknowledged this fact.