10 reasons to love Didier Drogba

[BlueLion. 21,491]

10 reasons to love Didier Drogba...

28th Apr 2011, In Articles, by Alex Hinsley

Signed in 2004 for a then-club record figure of £24 million, Didier Drogba has become one of the most celebrated stars of Chelsea's long and proud history, and a favourite amongst the club's fans.

Initially, eyebrows were raised when the Ivorian star arrived from Olympique de Marseilles in France, and a début season that generally failed to live up to such a hefty price tag saw some criticism from our own supporters towards Drogba.

The following campaign even saw some corners of Stamford Bridge even boo the Ivorian for his alleged theatrics in a case study in the fickleness of the modern-day football fan – but more than 300 appearances and 144 goals later, Didier Drogba is the star man at Stamford Bridge.

A talismanic striker with unfathomable passion for the game, these are ten reasons why you should love our number 11…

1. All-round play – plenty of strikers in world football have reputations in front of goal, but few share the same defensive prowess as Drogba. A fearsome defensive barrier, Didier's work-rate is personified by his mentality to come back and help the defence – and hundreds of clearing headers are testament to his overall contribution to the side.

2. Still the Top Drog – Messrs Crespo, Shevchenko, Anelka and Torres have all tried to supplant him, but Drogba is still the mainstay of the Chelsea attack. His response to the signings of Shevchenko and Torres in particular were especially emphatic – Didier netted 33 goals the season Sheva arrived, and despite the club spending £50 million on Torres in January 2011, Drogba is still first choice and currently in fine form. Any footballer would be happy with a place on the bench when you see Drogba's wages, but his love for the game and respect for the supporters sees him contented only when in form in front of goal and hearing his name cheered by the Stamford Bridge faithful.

3. A great goalscorer, and scorer of great goals – with strikers, you tend to get one or the other, but not only does Drogba boast a goal every-other-game stats, but when you see wonder strikes like his volleys against Everton and Liverpool, inch-perfect free-kicks like the one against Arsenal, trademark bullet headers as well as delicate, deft flicks, it is clear to see why Drogba is still one of the most-feared forwards in the game. You simply don't know what he'll try next. Neither does he, I imagine.

4. Mr Cup Final – Didier Drogba loves the cup final atmosphere – it's something he thrives on. He's scored in six cup finals for the club – the 04/05, 06/07 and 07/08 Carling Cup finals, and the 06/07, 08/09 and 09/10 FA Cup finals. Add in the fact he has also scored twice in various Community Shield clashes, and you can see exactly why his name is erected in Chelsea folklore forever.

5. Chelsea's all-time leading goalscorer from overseas – he has a long, long way to go before he catches up with the Tamblings, Dixons and even Lampards of this world, but Didier Drogba is – by some distance – the club's leading non-British goalscorer with an incredible 144 goals. And just another half-dozen strikes would see him overtake the legendary figures of Peter Osgood and Roy Bentley in the club scoring charts. Seven years at the club has seen him average more than 20 goals every season, despite him only playing a mean total of 43 games a year.

6. Love for the club, respect for the fans – 'legend' is a much-overused word in the world of football, but Drogba deserves the mantle. Didier loves the club and he loves the supporters – that much is clear to see. Drogba strikes me as a sincere and grateful person, and that is something that cannot be said of most footballers these days.

7. Style of play and selflessness – Drogba – despite being an African superstar – is an English centre-forward. He's strong, brave and physical; the perfect specimen of an English-style striker. His prowess in the air is unmatched, and his ability to link all aspects of the team's play through his selfless style of play has not only seen him become the engine in the Chelsea machine, but also rack up an impressive tally of 72 assists in his Chelsea career – and only Frank Lampard can better that record.

8. Humanitarian and philanthropist – forget the footballer, Drogba is a superstar in Africa for another reason – he symbolises hope. Forget his on-the-field antics and his occasional strops, this is a man who represents love and joy for young people worldwide. His work for Unicef has raised millions, and he also champions dozens of other charities including 'Product (RED)' with Bono of U2, which raises AIDs awareness. Similarly, his role as a peacekeeper can be seen in his call for a ceasefire to the Ivorian Civil War, which was accepted by leaders of opposing political factions in his homeland. If you can't love Drogba for what he does on the pitch, admire him for his role off of it. A true legend of world football – what has Wayne Rooney done, except sleep with hookers and make a total arse of himself thanks to piss-poor grammar on Twitter? Exactly. Fuck all.That is what separates Didier from the rest.

9. "A disgrace. It's a fucking disgrace." Mourinho did it last night. Drogba was the first, though – the first the address the evident conspiracy theory in favour of Barcelona. UEFA must really like Guardiola's team to basically see all other teams handicapped by sendings off and blatant penalties turned down… there is certainly an agenda to see the best footballing team win the competition. Calling the Champions League a fix is going a bit far, but I think its fair to say there's a bias towards Barcelona to sate the football purists. Drogba stood up to UEFA and got a three-game ban for his troubles. He's right though, and in a moment where he reflected what every football fan was thinking, he began an affinity with this club's supporters. A bit of emotion is nice to see -but then seeing Drogba incensed, infuriated and enraged makes you think that there is still a microcosm of passion in the game still.

10. Who will gun down the Arsenal? Simple really – Didier Drogba. 13 goals and 6 assists in 14 games against Arsenal – and only one loss in those 14 matches show that Drogba is the man who just loves playing against the Gunners.

The word 'legend' really does summarise Didier Drogba in his role both on and off the field of play. Little more be can said than that.

[Badboy 1,526]

Fantastic read alex and i agree 100% he is awesome, The 72 assists is just crazy, he has been with us for 7 seasons so he has racked us an average of 10 assists a season WORLD CLASS.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Cheers mate.

Even after all he's given the club I still don't think he is appreciated as he should be. Proper legend!

[J.F. 1,484]

Drogba is Drogba.

[neel 257]

classy article on a world class striker

[Peace. 4,352]

Great article, I enjoyed reading it

[zolayes 14,489]

excellent article

[Milan 17,835]

Brilliant reading. When he's on top of his game, there is no better striker.

A great goalscorer, and scorer of great goals

A lovely phrase Alex, really lovely.

[Cosmin 2,484]

Great article!

I'm only 18, but I know a lot of great football players, such as Zidane, Ronaldinho, Figo, Eto'o or Giggs. But none of them can be compared with Didier (maybe Dinho...). He's amazing on the pitch, he's amazing outside the pitch, he's a great team player, his charisma is amazing.

I thank to God Didier plays for my lovely Chelsea!

[neel 257]

eighth point makes him more than a footballer. Proud to have a such a person in blue jersey.

[crazy1 24]

gr8 article.............fantastic

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Cheers guys! There is a possibility that he could well move on this summer - I really hope he doesn't though. But these last four games could be his final matches in Chelsea blue. And you never really appreciate what you have until you lose it. We'll miss Drogba more than any other player when he moves on, I think. Players can be replaced in their respective positions, especially 20-goals-a-season strikers, but with Drogba you have Didier the footballer and Didier the man. You'll replace him as a goalscorer, but never as a person. Living Chelsea legend.

[Krypt 241]

The Drog ! Love him!

[cfc-meleady 192]

11. His dance skills

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6ufKDjIKmY

[Henrique 9,133]

Cheers guys! There is a possibility that he could well move on this summer - I really hope he doesn't though. But these last four games could be his final matches in Chelsea blue. And you never really appreciate what you have until you lose it. We'll miss Drogba more than any other player when he moves on, I think. Players can be replaced in their respective positions, especially 20-goals-a-season strikers, but with Drogba you have Didier the footballer and Didier the man. You'll replace him as a goalscorer, but never as a person. Living Chelsea legend.

more than Terry and Lampard ?

[Madmax 9,219]

The best thing I've read in a long while, Alex :cfc:

[Wilson 358]

Great read, all so true. There's only one Didier Drogba!

[Karlos 6]

great article, I totally agree with it. Drogba is my favourite goalscorer with Raúl Gonzáles.