The True Greatness of Didier Drogba

Photo source: https://medium.com/@paricheetsethi.19/didier-drogba-the-king-who-stopped-a-civil-war-c4e6ee3e0c0e

As a Chelsea fan, I can list dozens of moments in which Didier Drogba, Chelsea’s star striker from Ivory Coast, amazed me with his soccer brilliance. But the true reason why I admire Drogba is not just about how he used his skills on a 100-meter patch of grass to defeat opponents. It’s about how he used his heroic status to bring peace to the larger and deadlier field of his home country. But before I get into that, let me tell you about two moments of soccer--40 minutes apart--that encapsulate why every Chelsea fan lights up at the mention of the name “Didier Drogba.” 

It was May of 2012, and Drogba was a Chelsea legend in his farewell season. Unfortunately, his goodbye tour wasn’t going too well, as Chelsea had finished a sad sixth in Britain’s Premier League. There was, however, one salvation: Despite struggles in the Premier League, Chelsea had managed to battle its way to the finals of the European Champions League Tournament. The final game would be far tougher than all of the rest, though, because they were facing Bayern Munich--the best team in the world--in Munich. 

      Chelsea started the game shakily. Bayern was fired up on their home ground and kept constant pressure on Chelsea’s defense. They held the vast majority of the ball possession and hit a near miss against Chelsea’s goal post. In the 83rd minute, Munich finally broke through. A cross was sent into the box, which Thomas Muller headed into the ground. The ball bounced up and out of Chelsea keeper Petr Cech's reach and nicked the crossbar on its way in. Chelsea was devastated, but they hadn’t given up yet. They pushed forward and attacked Bayern, and in the 89th minute, they got a corner kick. That’s when Drogba’s first amazing moment occurred. The corner kick was whipped into the air over the middle of the box. Drogba sprinted into the box, leapt up, and drove into the ball with his head. The ball careened into the back of the net, and Chelsea was level. That moment fired up the spirit of every Chelsea player, and it got the crowd going. Even though they were outnumbered, the few Chelsea fans in the stands were now roaring with a new passion and fire. Chelsea held off Munich for the rest of regular time and made it into extra time. They continued to sit back and invite Bayern to attack but now they were defending well, and the game went all the way to penalty kicks. 

      Chelsea missed only one of their first four penalties, while Bayern missed two, leaving Chelsea with one penalty kick to win the game. And who better to take that penalty than Didier Drogba. He stepped up to the spot with a calm focus on his face. He ran up to the ball, and smashed it into the bottom right corner, winning the Champions League for Chelsea with his last ever kick for the team. The heart of every Chelsea fan jumped for joy at that moment, as we watched soccer history being written. A poster of Drogba’s decisive header adorns my wall to this day. 

Believe it or not, though, these heroics are not the main reason why I admire Didier Drogba.  His truest moment of greatness came after a soccer game that meant much less to me as a Chelsea fan, and the significance of his actions had little to do with soccer.

It was 2005 and Ivory Coast had never qualified for the World Cup. This time, however, as their World Cup qualifying pool drew to a close, they had a chance. Two conditions had to be met: Ivory Coast had to beat Sudan and Cameroon had to tie or lose to Egypt. This was unfortunately not a very likely scenario, considering Cameroon had won the African Cup of Nations just three years prior, and they had Samuel Eto’o, the greatest African player of all time, on their side. 

Ivory Coast fulfilled its part of the condition easily, cruising to a 3-1 victory against a weak Sudan team. Their fate was now in the hands of the Egyptians. For the first 90 minutes of the game, it seemed like Egypt would pull through, with the game tied at 1-1 in the 90th minute. Unfortunately for Ivory Coast, it was at this point that an Egyptian defender lost his presence of mind and tripped a Cameroonian striker in the penalty box. This gave Cameroon a penalty kick that could win them the game.

While all this was going on, Ivory Coast the country was in the midst of a civil war that had been raging since 2002. For years, the country had been split into two factions: the Muslims in the North and the Native Ivorians in the South. Just before the 2000 election, a law was passed by referendum stating that a person could only run for president if both of their parents were born in Ivory Coast. This law ruled out the popular Muslim candidate Alassane Ouattara and incited a bloody and brutal conflict. Dozens of politicians and other important figures were slaughtered, along with thousands of soldiers and civilians. 

There was however, one thing that united the whole country: soccer. And at the end of the 2005 World Cup qualifiers, the country could be either lifted up or thrown down by one Cameroonian penalty kick. Pierre Womé stepped up to the spot for Cameroon, took a few steps back, ran up to the ball, and put his laces through it. He looked up just in time to see his penalty clang off of the right post and bounce wide of the goal. When the Ivory Coast National Team heard this news in their changing room in Sudan, they rejoiced. Their country would be in the World Cup for the first time in its history. 

Despite his incredible elation, Drogba didn’t just celebrate and rejoice like he easily could have. Instead, he took advantage of this unique moment, as he had taken advantage of so many holes in opposing defenses. Before he had even finished changing, he gathered the whole team together, got the attention of the press, and gave a speech that was broadcast throughout his native country. “Men and women of Côte d’Ivoire, from the North, South, Center, and West, we proved today that all Ivorians can co-exist and play together with a shared aim to qualify for the World Cup....Please, lay down your weapons.  Hold elections.  All will be better.” When Drogba said this, millions heard, including the leader of the rebellion. They heeded his message of unity, and a few months later a ceasefire was signed, which eventually led to a treaty that ended the war.

Speech after game vs Sudan:

Though soccer is just a game, millions of people look to this game for passion and identity, and that allows it to become so much more than “just a game.” Drogba recognized that the entire country was united for the first time in years in celebration of the national team's victory, and he used this to unite the country more permanently. Drogba makes me proud to be a soccer player and a Chelsea fan because he wielded the power of soccer to bring peace to millions of people.