When Didier Drogba - or 'Tito' as he was nicknamed - arrived in France from Ivory Coast, he was far from a football wonderkid as he spent his early years in Europe fighting to make it alongside his brothers and cousins. His journeyman uncle - Michel Goba - came over first before Didier and his five siblings embarked on their own journey.
Jo Drogba was himself a promising footballer. The youngest of the four brothers, he was smaller than Didier but nonetheless carved out a place at Le Mans - where the elder Drogba came through - before joining Metz.
"I was a forward for Metz but I got a lot of injuries," he tells Goal. "I like to think I was a mix of Neymar and [Kylian] Mbappe rather than like Didier," he jokes.
Failed trials at St Pauli, Leyton Orient and NK Zagreb meant that Jo would have to look elsewhere after his dream to make it in football ended. He is now transitioning to a career in music and he has released his first single ‘Voulez-vouz danser?' with more releases planned.
"I am passionate about football and music," he says. "I was always writing music and dancing when I was trying to make it in football. It is great to release my first song. It is just a happy, dance song for everyone to listen to.
"I have always been inspired by the words in music, most specifically. My biggest influence is a French artist called Kery James. He is one of the best writers; he is like a poet. I also listen to Afrobeats and have African influences but the music I listen to is always in French, so French-African.
"I am attached to my African roots and I go home to visit my parents in Ivory Coast who still live there a lot. I hope to see my music recognised and to have a long career releasing a lot of music that brings people together and makes them dance."
Didier has shunned high-profile post-playing career options such as coaching or punditry in favour of a more entrepreneurial life. Such is his success off the field, he is able to donate his foundation's medical facility for the battle against coronavirus in his native Ivory Coast.
"He is very much my role model. I am proud to be Didier’s brother," Jo says. "He is an example through his achievements in football."
While Drogba's miraculous late equaliser in the Champions League final of 2012 lives in Chelsea folklore, within the family household, it is his humble mentality that inspires his five siblings.
"Off the pitch I have so many memories of Didier," Jo says. "I often think about the time when he played for Le Mans and we used to like going to this restaurant called Buffalo Grill.
"Our car broke down and we had to push it a long way to the restaurant. He went from pushing his own car to scoring a header and being a star in the Champions League. I find that inspiring.
Drogba's cousin Olivier Tebily also played football professionally, representing the likes of Celtic and Sheffield United while also winning 18 caps for Ivory Coast. Another cousin, Severin Drogba, went to Slovakia to chase his dream. Freddy Drogba - another brother - was in the Le Mans and Dijon academies. Now, Didier's son Isaac Drogba has left Chelsea's youth system to try and follow in his father's footsteps and make it at Guingamp in Ligue 1.
For Jo, there is life beyond footbal,l and his passions now lie in the world of music where hopes to get people up dancing to his mellow and soulful beats.
"Expect the next releases this summer, keep following and you will see new songs!"
