Chelsea soccer star Didier Drogba carries Olympic flame

Soccer super star., Didier Drogba with the Olympic flame. PHOTO/File

Thousands cheering for Chelsea star Didier Drogba have mobbed the Olympic torch relay route in southwest England, hoping to get a glimpse of the Ivory Coast striker as he carried the flame.

Many fans, some wearing Chelsea blue jerseys, cheered as their soccer hero ran through the center of Swindon on Wednesday. The 34-year-old Drogba, waved as he trotted along with the torch.

Drogba announced on Tuesday that he was quitting Chelsea, just days after scoring the winning penalty shot in the club’s dramatic Champion’s League final win over Bayern Munich. He is pursuing a career elsewhere.

“I think winning the game was the key. Not me scoring the penalty,” he told the BBC. “Winning the game was the turning point. That’s why I have decided to say goodbye.”

The British media have reported that Drogba’s next move will take him to China, but he hasn’t confirmed that.

“I hope everyone will understand,” Drogba said. `’Everything I did was for the fans, and I hope they understand.”

Copyright 2012 Associated Press.