New Delhi: Didier Drogba, who joined Chelsea in 2004 and inspired them to glory many times in an eight-year career, said winning the Champions League had been a long-held goal and he was extremely pleased to have achieved it. But the talismanic striker, having inspired the Blues to their first Champions League title, is on his way out, and said his next stop would be a special one and that he would let the world know his decision in a few months’ time.
“My heart will always bleed blue. I have built special relationships with so many players, but my next stop will be with a special one. The world will have to wait a little longer to know that,” said Drogba.
Drogba has spent eight years with the Premier League club and has played under top managers, but Roberto Di Matteo is the one he will remember most.
“I have played under many top managers, including Carlo Ancelotti and José Mourinho, and every one of them brought something to the team. Ancelotti brought a new way of thinking, Mourinho brought a fresh spirit, but Di Matteo will be the one most remembered,” said Drogba, who is in India to coach the national winners of Pepsi T20 Football.
Di Matteo was assistant to André Villas-Boas, and after Villas-Boas was sacked, Di Matteo was appointed interim coach and guided Chelsea to their first Champions League title.
The proudest moment
Drogba said winning the Champions League was the proudest moment of his career and something he had dreamt of since childhood. “It was like a dream for me to score in that match. So many different emotions were going through my mind when I took that penalty. I wanted it badly for my team and for my friend Petr Čech,” said Drogba.
Chelsea beat Bayern Munich in the final at the Allianz Arena, with Drogba first equalising with a brilliant header and then scoring the winning penalty. Chelsea is the club where Drogba has spent the longest period of his career, and he has scored 100 goals for them, the most by an overseas player.
“I am lucky to have played for the club and extremely pleased to have helped make it a worldwide brand,” said the Ivory Coast striker.
Asked about racism, Drogba said: “Racism has been a menace to sport overall, and FIFA has stringent guidelines in place to stop it.”
Drogba, who is on his first visit to India to support Pepsi T20 Football, praised the Indian cricket team for winning the World Cup and said they deserved respect for it. “I honestly do not know much about the game, but I did follow it and saw India win the tournament. They deserve respect, and becoming a champion is a great thing,” said Drogba.
By Samikshan Dutta Choudhury
Indian Sports News
