64 THE PREM ERA
DIDIER DROGBA
his friend Djibril Cisse, who was then
with Auxerre, for confirmation.
Still cited in France as the man
responsible for the emergence of
Drogba, Lacombe insists it was only
a matter of applying common sense,
claiming: “The important thing with
Didier was to make him realise there
were no limits to what he could achieve.
At first, when I demanded more from
him, he didn’t get it. Then the penny
dropped. Going that extra yard, making
that extra effort, became second nature.
“Because he’d had his share of
disappointments before coming
to Guingamp he knew he had no
margin for error. He was ready to
grasp his opportunity. I made it
plain to him that his conduct
off the pitch had to be right.
“That said, it is hard to walk on
the wild side in Guingamp, the
monastery of football!”MARSEILLE FAN
It soon became obvious that
Guingamp – a small-town, corner
shop of a club in a sea of supermarkets
–wouldhavetocashin,andinthe
summer of 2003 Lyon and Marseille
were at daggers drawn for Drogba’s
signature. Lyon, the dominant French
side of the moment, were sure their
greater competitiveness – plus the
extra€30,000 they were offering in
salary – would see them home anddry. But Drogba, who had been a
Marseille fan from an early age, was
more than happy to let his heart rule
his head and was absolutely overjoyed
to complete an€8millionmovetothe
Stade Velodrome.
While many players sink without
trace at Marseille, unable to cope with
the huge expectation and fans who turn
on a passenger-performer in an instant,
Drogba was unfazed. The fervour and
passion spilling down from the stands
brought the best out of him from the
word go, and in a wonderful 2003-04season he could not stop scoring,
amassing19 goals in Ligue1 and11
more in Europe as OM reached the
final of the UEFA Cup.
Sadly for the fans at “Stade Vel”
their idol was not to stay long. Now
established among the leading strikers
in Europe, he was hot property, and
when Chelsea owner RomanAbramovich put a £24m bid on the
table inJuly 2004, OM president
Christophe Bouchet simply could not
say no. Drogba was not best pleased
when told to pack up and leave what
he regarded as his spiritual home.
Somewhat reluctantly, he made
tracks for south-west London, where
Blues bossJose Mourinho would wring
even more line-leading effectiveness
and hunger for goals out of him.
With his penchant for simulation
and lapses of discipline – particularly
his red card in the Champions Leaguefinal defeat to Manchester United
in 2008, and a year later his foul-
mouthed tirade to the cameras
following his team’s semi-final defeat
by Barcelona in the same competition- criticism has been a constant
companion. Still, no one can deny
his massive contribution to Chelsea.
For years he has been the focal
Dream club...Drogba
celebrates a goal
for MarseilleNo one can deny his massive
contribution to Chelsea. For years
he has been the focal point of their
attackandhewilltakesome
replacingwhenheleaves