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11 Memorable Didier Drogba Quotes

11 Memorable Didier Drogba Quotes

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Didier Drogba is known for his footballing prowess and goal scoring touch, but he is also an intelligent and philosophical man. AFKSports looks at a few of his most interesting quotes down the years in an effort to better understand and appreciate the Ivorian footballer.

Source: Sports Illustrated Magazine, BrainyQuote

dailymail.co.uk
dailymail.co.uk

“I believe a lot in destiny and I think that if something didn’t happen, it was for a reason”

The Ivorian striker is not one for regrets and thinking what might have been. Instead he prefers to take what is given to him and see it as pre-determined. By that reasoning, he was destined to be one of Africa’s best strikers.

geograph.co.uk
geograph.co.uk

“I feel at home when I go to London”

The talented attacker is considered one of Chelsea’s best ever players, and his comfort on the pitch playing for the Stamford Bridge side was mirrored by his comfort in the city of London, where the club is based.

fr.wikipedia.org
fr.wikipedia.org

 

“I have won many trophies in my time, but nothing will ever top helping win the battle for peace in my country”

Didier Drogba’s list of team and individual achievements reads like a menu, and at club level he has been incredibly successful, but the part he has played in restoring peace to Cote D’Ivoire overshadowed all other accolades.

Mourinho and Drogba
Mourinho and Drogba – skysports.com

“Coaches can teach you two things: confidence and technique”

Drogba has had the fortune of working with numerous excellent coaches, including the likes of Jose Mourinho, who he developed a great respect for during his two stints at Chelsea. He has often revealed that he believes Mourinho’s influence made him a better player.

bbc.co.uk
bbc.co.uk

 

“In England, I’ve never really had a problem with racism”

The player reveals his lack of experience in England regarding a problem that affects too many players in world football. Often the top African players are targeted by opposing teams, but in England Drogba was not as affected by the scourge of racial abuse.

flickr.com
flickr.com

 

“Having a stadium in France named after a footballer from the Ivory Coast, even if I’m proud of my France-Ivory Coast background, is great proof of integration”

French fourth division club Levallois Sporting named its new stadium after Didier Drogba in 2010. The town of Levallois-Perret near Paris honoured the Ivorian due to the fact that he had played youth football with Levallois when he was 15, before moving to Le Mans in 1997.

msn.foxsports.com
msn.foxsports.com

 

“Football can generate excitement and bring people together”

The former Galatasaray player is well aware of the role that sport and football in particular can play in uniting people from all walks of life, and his own role in bringing the people of his homeland together has been an incredible lesson of the impact that sport can have.

en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org

 

“In football, the good thing is things can change in a second”

Drogba knows this better than most, as his moments of brilliance have changed his team’s fortunes on more than one occasion. As a goal scorer who often found the back of the net at crucial moments in finals or deciding matches, patience and an understanding of the need to make use of opportunities are elements that form part of Drogba’s strategy on the pitch.

Didier Drogba and son Isaac
Didier Drogba and son Isaac – dailymail.co.uk

 

“When I asked him (Isaac) which country he would like to play for as an international, he told me neither Ivory Coast nor France but England”

Drogba reveals that his oldest son, who is now 15 years old, is keen to play for England rather than Cote D’Ivoire if he were to become a professional footballer at international level in future. Isaac currently plays for one of Chelsea’s junior level sides, and would be eligible to represent France, England or Cote D’Ivoire in world football.

flickr.com
flickr.com

“When I arrived in France, I cried every day. Not because I was in France – I could have been anywhere – but because I was so far, far away from my parents. I missed them so much”

Drogba was a youngster when he first made his move to Europe from Cote D’Ivoire, and it was not an easy transition for the young star in the making. He was very honest about how difficult he found the move, as he missed family, but clearly the tough early days made way for success, and it was all worth the sacrifice.

https://youtu.be/MubR-tMC55M

“Yeeeaaaahhh”

Drogba’s national team career spanned 12 years from 2002 to 2014. He recorded 104 appearances for the Elephants, scoring 65 goals to secure his status as a legend in his home country. Having been a stalwart for the national team for so long, he made numerous attempts to win the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), and was unsuccessful in his quest, losing in a penalty shootout to Zambia in the 2012 final. In 2014 he retired from the national team. It was therefore wonderful to see Drogba and his family celebrating with such passion and excitement when Cote D’Ivoire won the 2015 edition, also in a penalty shootout, and the video above from the man himself on his Instagram is a true testament to his patriotism.