Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba is, without a doubt, one of the greatest talismen of his generation, as evidenced by his bloated trophy cabinet. It’s not unfair to say that he’s witnessed a plethora of talent over the years but, when naming the three greatest footballers of all time, there was no space for Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Drogba liked to be different: during his football career, largely remembered for his stint in west London for Chelsea, he was a bulldozer-like that didn’t score, compared to others, bucketloads of goals. But he was a central defender’s nightmare.
Not only could he shrug off the Premier League’s most imposing defenders with relative ease, but his subtle movement, in complete tandem with his canny eye for goal, made him a force to be reckoned with. Ultimately, he struck fear into opponents up and down the country.
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The Ivorian snubbed both Messi and Ronaldo
It’s not unfair to say that Drogba – one of the greatest strikers in Premier League history – understands what it takes to perform at the highest level and, therefore, it may come as a surprise to learn that he snubbed Messi and Ronaldo in the GOAT conversation.
Typically, when fans and players alike are tasked with naming the best player of all time – Ronaldo of Al-Nassr, 40, and Inter Miami’s crown jewel Messi, 37, are often brought up in conversation thanks to their ever-lasting influence on the beautiful game.
Thierry Henry at Arsenal, Cristiano Ronaldo at Man Utd, Mo Salah at Liverpool, Didier Drogba at Chelsea - with Premier League logo in background
The former Chelsea and Galatasaray marksman, 47, spoke with defender-turned-pundit Rio Ferdinand and reeled off his top three greatest players of all time. Drogba, who scored 164 goals in 381 games in the English capital, chose Diego Maradona alongside two others.
He shook his head in awe of the French central midfielder’s natural-born ability and then Ferdinand then asked why Drogba’s face lit up when he mentioned Ronaldo, who played for the likes of Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan throughout his illustrious career.
On the enigmatic Zidane, Drogba recalled a story about the Real Madrid hero’s enviable ability to evade pressure and pop the ball about. “One of our guys was supposed to mark him, man to man. And every time he was coming close to him, the ball was gone,” he said.
Unfortunately for the Abidjan-born ace, who won four Premier League titles during his spell at Chelsea, he was unable to play with any of the trio. That said, he played, and lost, twice to Ronaldo’s Real Madrid while on the books of Marseille. Zidane shared the pitch with the affectionally monikered R9 on those two occasions.
In 2005, the midfielder’s star-studded France side, including the likes of Thierry Henry, also beat Ivory Coast 3-0 in an international friendly. Maradona – who is commonly admired as one of the best players in Serie A history – never locked horns with Drogba.