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Chelsea legend Didier Drogba once named the three toughest defenders he faced while playing for the West London club. He picked Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, and Carles Puyol as the defenders he found most difficult to play against in his career.
Drogba is regarded as one of the best strikers to have played for the Blues and in the Premier League. The Ivorian forward enjoyed two spells at Stamford Bridge. He first joined the club in 2004 from Olympique Marseille before leaving for Chinese outfit Shangai Shenhua in 2012.
Two seasons later, the two-time African Player of the Year returned to Stamford Bridge on a free transfer, signing a one-year contract until the end of the 2014-15 season. In 381 appearances across two spells, Drogba recorded 164 goals and 78 assists for the Blues.
He guided Chelsea to their first-ever Champions League title in 2012 and also won four Premier League titles with the club. While speaking to Ferdinand in an interview for TNT Sports in 2015, Drogba disclosed the three toughest defenders he faced in his career.
He said (via TBR Football):
"I’ve always said, you and Vidic, people say that I scored a few goals against Man U, I would say when I was scoring against Man U, I was really happy because I didn’t score much."
"So for me to score against you guys, means that I had a good game. So you two and Carlos Puyol. Because he’s tough, he’s a very good defender but he’s a gentleman," he added.
Drogba recorded three goals in 13 meetings with Rio Ferdinand. He faced Nemanja Vidic 12 times and registered the same number of goals. In nine meetings against Carles Puyol, he also found the net thrice.
Didier Drogba's record against Manchester United while playing for Chelsea
Didier Drogba faced Manchester United 21 times while playing for Chelsea, winning 10, drawing four, and losing seven. He scored four goals and provided six assists against the Red Devils.
When the two clubs met in the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2008, Drogba was sent off in extra time for slapping Nemanja Vidic in the face. Chelsea went on to lose the match 6-5 via penalty shootouts.
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Edited by Parag Jain