The Drog - Looking back and beyond

Didier Yves Drogba was 21 when he signed his first professional contract. Although he was a late bloomer, Drogba’s career graph after 21 took a surge like no other. After a couple of years in France’s Ligue 2 division, Marseille acquired his services in 2003, where he caught the eye of a certain Jose Mourinho, who had just arrived at Chelsea. Soon followed a 24 million pound move, stellar performances, consistent goals and the inception of a Blue legend.

Every great footballer has to have a certain number of ‘that moment’s’ which stand out in his career. True, he might not have scored a majestic volley in a cup final like Zizou did, or inspired his team to victory like Stevie Gerrard did at Istanbul, but Drogba have his own collection that he has built up over the years. ‘That’ goal against United in the FA Cup final, ‘that’ brilliant swivel and volley against Liverpool at the bridge in a league game, ‘that’ brilliant dipping volley against Everton and ‘that’ equally brilliant turn and shot against Barcelona along with ‘those’ wondrous free-kicks against many a premier league sides are testimony to his quality and impact.

A combination of power, pace and skill.

Perhaps the most noticeable transition in Didier Drogba over the years has been his attitude. Having arrived as a brash and fiery 25-year old, Drogba now looks more mature and responsible. The player infamous for his spontaneous dives is long gone, and is now replaced by a player who would always apologise for a mistimed tackle and inspire those around him to play the game in it’s highest spirit. Having grown in terms of his persona, he now commands the respect of not only his fellow professional colleagues, but also from all sets of fans as he’s become a true ambassador of the game.

All in all, Didier has been a thorough entertainer. From his famous knee sliding goal celebrations to his attempts at rapping, he’s never shied away from trying the outrageous. So what next for the Drog? Has he had a satisfactory Chelsea career? Most definitely. Is there a way of laying the icing over the cake? Sure, and the answer to this, would be winning the Champions league.

The Drog in his typical celebratory style.

Having reached the twilight of his Chelsea career, and having seen Torres put in a few consistent performances; Drogba’s role would most likely be restricted to that of a second choice striker. But with important games coming up for Chelsea in their bid to finish fourth, and with Di Matteo’s rotation policy, we might just see Didier lighting up Munich with one of his trademark finishes past Iker Casillas. Yes this is coming from an optimistic Chelsea and a closeted Madrid fan. Surely, it would take more than that to become an all-time club legend (something like a Maldini or a Xavi), but Didier Drogba has made sure that, it would take a really special player to live up to its predecessor’s worth.