“It is a regret” - Chelsea legend Didier Drogba names five players he wishes to have played with as a Blue, including Real Madrid star

The legendary Didier Drogba recently opened up about how he regrets not playing in the FIFA Club World Cup for Chelsea. He added that it felt good to see the Blues lift the trophy in 2021. They qualified for it by winning the UEFA Champions League under former manager Thomas Tuchel.

The Ivory Coast star also mentioned five former and current Chelsea players he wishes he had played with. This list includes Reece James, who is still playing at Stamford Bridge. The others - Romelu Lukaku (Napoli), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), N'Golo Kante (Al-Ittihad) and Mason Mount (Manchester United) have moved elsewhere.

"I would have loved to have played in the Club World Cup. It is life, that is how things are. It is one of my regrets, actually. I was really happy to go to Abu Dhabi to watch Chelsea win it," Drogba was quoted as saying by Give Me Sport.

"For me, it was also a great experience. I wish I was on the pitch with Romelu Lukaku, Antonio Rudiger, N'Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Reece James and so on (sic). Yes, it is a regret," he added.

Drogba played for Chelsea over two spells, once from 2004 to 2012 and again from 2014 to 2015. He was immensely successful as a striker with the Blues, scoring 164 goals and recording 88 assists in 381 appearances.

The 46-year-old, who retired from the sport in 2018, has an impressive four Premier League titles and four FA Cup titles with Chelsea. He also won a Champions League title in the 2011-12 season. Drogba earned a name for himself by helping Chelsea win their first league title in 50 years in 2004, the year he first joined the club.

Chelsea and Real Madrid played a friendly against each other in pre-season

Chelsea and Real Madrid, both notable clubs in their respective countries England and Spain, played a friendly against each other in pre-season this year. The game was won by Madrid by a 2-1 scoreline thanks to goals from Lucas Vazquez and Brahim Diaz. Noni Madueke scored the solitary goal for the Blues.

At this moment, however, a meeting of these two giants appears slim. Defending champions Real Madrid have won two out of their three matches so far in the Champions League to be placed 12th. Chelsea, on the other hand, compete in the lowly UEFA Europa Conference League, owing to their sixth-place finish in the 2023-24 Premier League. They currently top the table after having won both their matches so far.