#5. Didier Drogba; €38.5m
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Didier Drogba was perhaps the best buy for Chelsea after Roman Abramovich took over the club. Arriving from Marseille for a fee of €38.5 million, Drogba was one of the first signings Jose Mourinho made when he came to the club. For Marseille, he had scored 32 goals in all competitions which included five in the Champions League.
The Ivory Coast international was identified as the premier man to lead Chelsea’s attack for years to come and every penny spent on him proved to be worth it. Drogba would go on to become the epitome of the lone-striker in football because of his physicality, aerial prowess and ability to retain possession. Drogba is renowned for scoring in big matches, having put the ball in the net on 10 occasions in 10 finals, winning ten trophies in the process.
Drogba scored a late headed equaliser in the Champions League Final against Bayern Munich in 2012 and put the last penalty behind the net past Manuel Neuer guiding Chelsea win their first ever Champions League. In the process, he established himself as the ‘King of Stamford Bridge’ and put his name Champions League folklore forever.
Drogba would have a reunion with Mourinho at Chelsea again in 2014 when he was signed for a year, helping the team win the Premier League and League Cup double in the same season. He now plays for MLS side Montreal Impact where he signed in 2015.
