London - Didier Drogba seems to know exactly what Chelsea require. He says they need their “Daddy” back; their creator; their inspiration.
To Drogba, Jose Mourinho really is the special one; the manager who made it all happen once at Stamford Bridge and, in his opinion, can do so again.
“He did a lot of things for us,” says Drogba. “He supported me and he helped me. Others too. That’s why we call him ‘Daddy’”.
“I don’t think Jose has got over Chelsea and I don’t think they have got over him. The fans want him back and he loves Chelsea. For the club it is the best solution to bring Jose back.
“They need to rebuild a team and to give them the strength they had a few years ago. He could be the right person. He is a winner.
“It was unique, but It’s like when you learn how to ride a bike, you don’t forget. That’s why Jose needs to come back. He is close to the players. He went to Inter, now he is at Real, but he still talks about Chelsea. He loves the club.
“And at Chelsea he brought success. We won two league titles and the only thing we didn’t win was the Champions League. Maybe that is one of the reasons he wants to come back - it is unfinished business.”
Drogba has business with Mourinho on Wednesday night, squaring up to the Real Madrid manager and his players in the Bernabeu as the focal point of the Galatasaray attack.
It will be a Champions League quarter-final to savour but, as Drogba holds court at Galatasaray’s training ground shortly before leaving with his new teammates for Spain, he reflects on a previous life.
Drogba loved his time at Chelsea under Mourinho, becoming one of the powerful and influential voices in the dressing room after he was signed from Marseille in 2004.
The Ivory Coast striker was there at Bolton the following April, stripped to his waist and celebrating Chelsea’s first league title in 50 years with skipper John Terry, Frank Lampard, Petr Cech and Claude Makelele.
Drogba recalls Mourinho still being in the dug-out long after the final whistle, making telephone calls as the players continued to party in front of their travelling fans.
“We used to laugh, but managing is his passion,” says Drogba. “With the team he would tell us, “Do this, do this and do this and we are champions”.
“I”ve seen some special moments with him. When we played Watford (in March 2006), Andriy Shevchenko had come back from international duty with Ukraine with a knee problem.
“I had just won the African player-of-the- year award so I had been to Bouake in the Ivory Coast to show the trophy.
“At half-time it was 0-0 and Jose came in, “Sheva, this week I asked if you want to play with your knee problem and you said yes, so now you go out and play.
“You (pointing at Drogba), the king of Africa, now you go out and play. And (Michael) Ballack, don’teven think about coming to my country to look for a house”.
It worked, with Chelsea going on to win at Vicarage Road after substitute Salomon Kalou scored with a last-minute header.
Chelsea were a durable team, built to last the distance in the Premier League as Mourinho turned them into champions.
Terry, Lampard and Cech are among the survivors from the 2005 team, stitched into the fabric of the club after years of sustained success at Stamford Bridge.
“When we speak about important players making history with their clubs I think about Ryan Giggs at Manchester United or Paolo Maldini at Milan,” says Drogba.
“There will always be new players and young talents to keep improving the club, but players like John and Frank should stay to share this passion and pass on the mentality of the club.
“The mentality is something that can come back again and with these players in the team it is easier to do that.
“For me they should stay. What Frank is doing now is unbelievable. To be two goals away from being the leading goalscorer of all time is remarkable. He has to stay.”
They are kind words, a show of support and affection at a time when the future of these two Chelsea greats is uncertain.
Drogba has had his time at the Bridge, leaving for Shanghai Shenhua after that electrifying night in the Allianz Arena when Chelsea won the European Cup for the first time.
He returned to London to train with the team in December and was approached about the possibility of returning to Stamford Bridge on a short-term contract.
“I spent eight years at Chelsea and It’s always nice to go back to train,” he added. “London is my home and so is Chelsea. I had options in December, but Galatasaray was the most exciting and the most risky in terms of the challenge.
“We spoke with Chelsea about coming back, but the idea was not explored enough. I want to thank the Chelsea fans because they haven’t forgotten me. They followed me in China and also during this Champions League campaign. I have heard so many times that I was done so I joined Galatasaray to show I can still play at the highest level.”
Drogba has Champions League pedigree, scoring Chelsea”s equaliser against Bayern Munich last May before winning it for them in the penalty shootout. There were riotous scenes in the dressing rooms afterwards as the players celebrated their success with owner Roman Abramovich. The Champions League had always been the target, the glaring omission from the trophy cabinet after three Premier League titles and four FA Cups in the Abramovich era.
“In the dressing room he was there and it was a nice moment,” admits Drogba.
“Maybe it was the first time we saw something like that happen, but it was really nice. There were no restrictions. There are some games when he is happy because we have won. That day was special.
“It is up to the players to create a relationship with him. The more you talk with your boss the more you understand what he wants.
“They are important elements in a relationship, especially when you know that he isn”t there for every game. We still speak, we stay in contact and that’s normal. It’s what you expect when you spend eight years with one club.”
Expectations at Chelsea are high and Drogba responded with 157 goals for the club, emerging as one of the focal points of the team under a succession of managers.
He was long gone by the time Rafa Benitez arrived, but understands the fans” frustrations after he was appointed Chelsea’s interim manager.
After Benitez accused Drogba of being a “diver” before the Champions League semi-final second leg in 2008, the Chelsea striker slid to his knees and celebrated his winner in front of the Liverpool manager.
“I went to one game at Stamford Bridge and the fans were not so happy with him and it must be tough to manage in these conditions. “After the history he had with the club, I can understand the fans a little bit.”
Drogba has a special bond with Chelsea’s supporters, a real idol after his remarkable career at the club.
He adored Wembley, scoring the winner against Manchester United in the 2007 FA Cup final, the equaliser against Everton in 2009 and sealing their win over Liverpool last season.
Drogba”s record is impressive: a performer at the very highest level with Marseille, Chelsea, Galatasaray and the Ivory Coast. At Chelsea only the toughest survive and Fernando Torres, who was signed from Liverpool for £50m, has failed to emerge from the great man’s shadow this season.
“It was easier for me to play at Chelsea because I know the pitch like it is my own garden,” added Drogba. “When Fernando came to Chelsea he was not playing a lot at Liverpool because of his injuries. It was strange to see him in blue when we had the image of him in a Liverpool shirt. I don’t know why he didn’t score as many goals as before, but sometimes change is not always a good one.”
Drogba”s move to Galatasaray has been a good one, returning to the Champions League under the guidance of the fabled Turkish coach Fatih Terim.
They finished second in the group stages behind Manchester United and went on to beat Schalke 04 in the second round.
This evening It’s all about Mourinho, but they met once before when Inter knocked out Chelsea on the way to winning the Champions League in 2010.
“This time it will be a little bit different because I play against Jose, Michael Essien and Ricardo Carvalho and they are all ex-Chelsea,” he says.
“After the draw I sent him (Mourinho) a text and then I saw him recently at a game, but that’s it.
“I’m at a club with a lot of ambition. They have signed players like Wesley Sneijder (who won the European Cup with Mourinho in 2010) and I hope there are more coming.
“People say Mourinho likes me and that I was his son, but the fact is that if I wasn’t performing I wouldn”t play - that”s his signature.
“You have to perform and you have to be the best. It’s only business.
“As long as I have the passion - that”s what drives me, the passion - I will always try to compete for the best.
“For me the best thing in Europe is the Champions League. So as long as I feel that I can perform, as long as I believe I have the chance to lift this trophy again, I will fight for it.”
As Mourinho appreciates only too well.
Daily Mail