Big Drog returns to the Bridge for Gala event

Simon Collings 12:00 18/03/2014
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  • Homeward bound: Didier Drogba returns to Stamford Bridge for the first time with Galatasaray since leaving Chelsea in 2012.

    Galatasaray striker Didier Drogba will not let emotion get the better of him as he prepares to face his former club Chelsea this week.

    Drogba returns to Stamford Bridge with Galatasaray for the first time since he left the Blues in 2012, as the pair face each other in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 clash tonight.

    Given his eight years at Chelsea, it is thought that the prospect of returning to London may weigh heavy on Drogba’s mind, but the Ivorian is adamant that he remains focused on the match.

    “It’s very difficult to play against Chelsea, but it’s not going to be difficult for me to put myself into the competition because now I belong to Galatasaray. I need to be professional,” said Drogba. “Of course there will be emotions, like in the first leg when I saw my ex-team-mates and the Chelsea fans at the stadium. It was special.

    “But then there was the game, and the game as you saw was tough, with high intensity.”

    Drogba netted 157 goals in 342 appearances for Chelsea, winning three Premier League titles and scoring the winning penalty against Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final. That penalty turned out to be Drogba’s last kick in a Chelsea shirt as he left a month later on a free transfer, and it is a moment he remembers fondly.

    “I think to leave Chelsea on a high like I did, if I could do it, I would do it again. The same way,” he added. “But then I always say that I believe in destiny and if I ever wanted to play again for this team, I think it could’ve happened a long time ago. As it didn’t there’s no problem with that. I’m really happy at Galatasaray.”

    With Chelsea’s strikers struggling for goals this season, much has been made about whether Drogba’s return will show how the Blues have failed to replace the 36-year-old.

    He added: “I’ve nothing to prove to this club. Everything I have to prove I did already. I come here with another team and I just want to win the game and qualify. There’s nothing personal against Chelsea. There will never be.”

    Drogba’s love affair with Chelsea have seen rumours circulate about a possible return to the club as a coach and the 36-year-old admits it is a thought that has crossed his mind.

    “Of course [I've thought about Coaching at Chelsea] – but now. I still want to play,” said Drogba.

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