The former Chelsea forward talked about his days at the club as he received UEFA’s prestigious award at Geneva on Thursday.
Former Chelsea and Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba received the UEFA President’s Award at Geneva on Thursday. Evidently, he is one of the best players from the continent of Africa.
The 42-year-old collected the prize from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin during the Champions League draw ceremony.
Mr. Ceferin described Drogba as “a leader and a pioneer”. Moreover, he now follows the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton, Eusebio, Raymond Kopa, Johan Cruyff, Francesco Totti, David Beckham, and Eric Cantona. These players are also honored with the prestigious award.
More than just a game!
“We all know that Didier Drogba was one of the best players of all time,” said Aleksander Čeferin at the presentation ceremony. “But it is not enough to be a super player – you have to do something more. He never forgot where he’s coming from. He’s a great man, and that’s why he deserves this award.”
The President’s Award symbolizes noteworthy achievements, professional excellence, and personal characteristics.
Furthermore, Drogba put efforts into charity and goodwill work along with his fabulous playing career. He aided to develop the lives of children in different nations.
“I’m really proud because it’s representing 20 years of football,” Drogba said. “Also a lot of trophies, a lot of great memories. When you see the list of players who have won it before, you can be proud to be among those players.”
“I think that, as football players, we represent society,” he reflected. “Football is a reflection of society, of what’s happening in our lives. It’s important for us to be role models. It’s important for us to spread the right message. I think that’s what we have to do, and that’s what I’ve been doing all my career.”
Club and Country.
Moreover, Drogba experienced a variety of football culture during his 20-year career spell. He played for Chelsea, Le Mans, Guingamp, Marseille, Galatasaray, Shanghai Shenhua, Montreal Impact, and Phoenix Rising.
The prolific striker gained a legendary title after his performance in the 2012 Champions League final vs Bayern. He scored a late equalizer, took the game to the extra time, and scored the decisive penalty for Chelsea.
In conclusion, the Blues won their first-ever Champions League title. “I think it’s one of the best moments in my career, if not the best,” said Drogba. “I had a manager when I was in Le Mans who told me: ‘you don’t need to play 90 minutes, 10 minutes is enough for you to make the difference’. At first, I was frustrated but I learned how to use those 10 minutes and be efficient. So all those goals in the last minutes, I think is also because of this lesson.”
He was born in Abidjan and is an idol for his country, Ivory Coast. The former Chelsea man scored 66 goals for his national side in 106 matches. In addition, Ivory Coast reached their first-ever FIFA World Cup finals with his support in 2006.
“I always use my career as an example,” Drogba said. “Yes, you can be talented, you can be gifted, but without work, it’s difficult to achieve something. I worked really hard to maintain a certain quality of play.”
“I’m really proud and I think this should be an example of what African people or people coming from different regions and going to play in different countries could achieve with dedication and hard work.”
“So today it’s me but I hope and I’m sure it’s going to be somebody else next. But the most important thing is football unites, football brings people together and that’s why for me to leave Africa and go to play in Europe and achieve something and be here today receiving this award is something that makes me really proud,” said Drogba.
Mr. Ceferin praised his intentions towards charity earlier during a speech.
Drogba concluded: “Football is a reflection of society so we footballers have a responsibility towards the community because it’s the community that comes to the games. It’s the community that entertains. They mean a lot and we’ve seen during these last few games they were not in the stadiums, we saw how much we missed them. That is why our goal is not only to play well, it’s also to represent the community and to give something back as much as we can.”
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