It seems as if it was yesterday when Didier Drogba came to Chelsea FC with the likes of Michael Essien from France. Ever since, he has proven countless times to be clutch for his now former club. The average fan may not understand why this decision has been made to leave after reaching the summit and winning the prestigious Champions League after all the adversity the club had face this past season. Taking a deeper look, there are several reasons on his decision to depart from Chelsea.
Age Factor:
In the football world, once you have reached your early 30s, it is usually the time when one is leaving his prime (unless you’re a Goalkeeper). The demand for young players is and will continue to be on the rise. At the age of 34, if Drogba were to stay he would eventually see less and less time on the pitch. Knowing him, this would not sit well with him as he has imprinted his status in Europe, Africa, and the rest of the world.
The “EL Nino” Experiment:
The amount of money (50 million Euros) Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich, has invested in the Spaniard International, Fernando Torres, does not leave enough room for Drogba to get what he thinks he deserves. At the end of the day it is a job/profession these players have and no one wants to be underpaid. With his contract ending in June, he was due to get less than what he had been receiving. In addition to receiving less pay, he would see less time like I stated before because of the investment made in Torres. No owner in his right mind is going to sit his highest paid player on the bench regardless of his form, which he has steadily resurrected.
Following The Trend:
Time and time again we have seen big name soccer players leaving their prime to go play for a less popular league where competition isn’t as great. Ever since David Beckham made his record moving to the LA Galaxy of MLS here in the US worth 5years/$250 million. Later on, the likes of Robbie Kean, Rafa Marquez, Thierry Henry, and recently, Nicholas Anelka and Samuel Eto’o have all made moves to other countries where their soccer leagues are not acknowledged compared to the big ones such as Spanish and English. These players are realizing that such teams are willing to spend ridiculous money on them, so why not? It should not be a surprise if Drogba ends up in China like his former teammate Anelka or in the United States playing along side Beckham to get his last bit of shine in the spotlight for a few more years.
Leaving a Legacy:
Arguably one of the greatest athletes to come out of the continent of Africa, Drogba has built a very impressive resume. From when he made his first big move while in France to Marseille in 2003 at the age of 21, he has become a goal-scoring machine. 2 time African Footballer of the Year, and the current leading scorer for Ivory Coast which I don’t see anyone catching him anytime soon. He leaves Chelsea FC 4th on their all-time goal scoring list (one spot behind now former teammate Frank Lampard) with 157 goals in 341 games and being the only foreign player to play for the team to be in the top 10. He owns the teams record of European competition goals with 34 and amazingly, 9 goals in 9 cup finals, winning 3 league titles, 2 League Cups, 2 Community Shields, 4 FA Cups and of course the Champions League Title last Saturday in which he scored the tying goal with a header in the 88th minute, a couple of minutes after Bayer had taking the late lead, as well as scoring the winning penalty kick in the shootout, talk about being clutch.
Its only right and fitting to leave at this point of his career on such a high note, he has surely changed the culture of the club into a winning one and adding “swag” to a team that has recently risen in the English Premier League in the last decade. He leaves an impressive act for future strikers to emulate who will eventually come to wear the infamous blue jersey. Drogba leaves with a legacy, he leaves as a Champion.
Source : NewsSpitter
