Didier Drogba’s interview with Chelsea
On his return and Mourinho
‘He said to me that a player like me, who has history with the club, should come back one day. He said I have to come back and I agree with him because, even if I left, I was still a Chelsea player because of the eight years I spent here. No offence to the teams I was with during those two years but that’s just the way it is.
‘He’s the one who gave me a chance to play in the Premier League. We won so many trophies together and so many matches on the pitch. His relationship is not only with me, it’s with all the players who were here from the beginning of the story. It’s quite emotional but the most important thing is that we want to win, win, win.
‘I think the best thing I can bring to this club and team will be to stay the same as I was during my first spell here. I don’t have to change, everybody knows my character, my attitude and my mentality.
‘They know if I’m here it’s not just to smile and thank people for welcoming me back. I want to win, I want to share my desire and will to win games. The squad is young but to get the best results you have to push yourself.’
On the new signings:
‘It was very important for us to buy these players, they are all good signings. To have Cesc with us, I think he’ll understand it’s better to be with us than against us. They are good players and I hope they will bring their talent and experience to the team.
‘I’ve been watching Diego play over the last few years and the first time I saw him I really liked him as a player. I like his character, he’s solid, he can score goals and he’s also technically gifted. He likes people to respect him and that’s important.
‘This is the first time I’ve had a chance to speak about those two players that left. Ash was the best left-back in the world and I was lucky to have him in my team because when he was at Arsenal he was a difficult player to play against. He became a better player when he came to Chelsea.
‘Everyone knows exactly what Frank meant to me. People say I scored a lot of goals but he was involved in almost all of them. The partnership with him was incredible and he’s a legend at this club. I know he will also come back one day because he belongs to the Blues.’
Drogba’s first spell at the club was a trophy-laden period, with the striker playing a pivotal role as we won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups and the Champions League.
As he prepares for his first season back at the Bridge, the main motivation is further collective success, with his eyes firmly fixed on one trophy in particular.
‘I’m not coming here to break records, I just want to win trophies,’ he says. ‘Five years is a long time not to win the Premier League, so I want to win it. To lift the Premier League trophy is a fantastic feeling and we haven’t experienced it for a few years, it’s too long for a club like ours.
‘I think the title race is going to be like it has been these last few years, all the big clubs will be involved and fighting until the end.
‘There are more teams capable of winning the league, which makes it interesting in terms of pressure and different scenarios.
‘I missed the Premier League, which for me is the best in the world. It’s true the German league is on the way up but the English league has been the best over the last decade and I’m really looking forward to playing the first game.’
www.chelseafc.com
