A Must Read for Footballers.. The African who conquered Europe: Didier Drogba The Chelsea legend relocated from Ivory Coast to France at a very young age to live with his uncle who was a professional footballer. A young Drogba had trouble adjusting to new surroundings and he only played football part time and didn’t attend any football academy like most players today. When he joined Ligue 2 club Le Mans, he struggled to cope with the strict practice regimes and suffered various injuries because his body was not used to training every day. In the end Drogba would make his professional debut only at the age of 21. With a lot of hard work and effort he finally moved up in the football world and eventually played for French giants Olympique de Marseille. A terrific season for Marseille gave him a move to Chelsea and that is where the whole world would come to know about the Ivorian. There were several questions raised about paying a huge fee for a 26-year-old, who didn’t do anything to warrant such a hefty fee. To this Jose Mourinho replied: “Judge him when he leaves the club.” Drogba earned praise for his knack to perform in high profile games and cup finals. But he was sent off in the final of the 2008 Champions League and this forced John Terry to take the decisive penalty kick, which if Drogba was on the pitch, was his to take. Terry missed and Drogba’s absence somehow cost them the title. He made up for his mistake four years later by inspiring Chelsea to come back against Napoli in the first knockout round and following this up with goals in the semi-final and final against Barcelona and Bayern Munich respectively. He also took the fifth and decisive penalty kick in 2012 final and won Chelsea their first Champions League title. In addition to his on field performances, Drogba played a huge role in ending the civil war and bringing peace to his nation. Such was the charisma he possessed...
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 18:07:07 +0000
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