Interview with the Drogs!

From ChelseaFC.com

Didier Drogba has revealed in an interview that he has long known he had a season in him like the one his currently enjoying.

With the Chelsea striker sitting top of the scorers' chart in both the Barclays Premiership and the Champions League, observers are finding it hard to suggest a more in-form striker in world football.

'I knew in my heart that I was going to be one of the biggest strikers in the world,' Drogba has said, speaking to supporters on the other side of the Atlantic via an interview given to the New York Times.

The full interview follows:

Q: I was reading through some of your biographical information and saw that you began your soccer career as a defender. How did that happen and how did you end up moving from defense to offense?

A: It happened when I was 11 because my uncle said to me that I was scoring too many goals to be a right back. He said I have to go in front, then score many, many goals from that position. I really wanted to be up front anyway. I was enjoying scoring goals. There is a different feeling when you score goals.

Q: Was it difficult for you to make the move from France to England?

A: It is normal to take time to adjust. Coming from France, with it's nice weather and moving to a different country. It took me time to adapt to England. It is normal for a football player when you spend all you life in a country then you have to change. It is really just another challenge.

Q: What was the toughest thing?

A: When you arrive, you don't understand what people are saying to you because you cannot speak the language. It is very difficult because the football is very universal. It is easy to understand what is going on on the pitch, with your coach, your teammates. But when you go out with your family to have dinner, to do shopping, to walk around the city, it is not always easy.

Q: You have scored some terrific goals since you have been at Chelsea, including that wonderful goal at Barcelona in the Champions League. Is there one goal that you consider to be your best?

A: I think we can say that all the goals I score are very important.

Maybe because I am strong, maybe because I am sometimes lucky. I found that the best way for me to play in England was to adapt. After two years, I understand that.

What is the hardest is playing so many games and not having a lot of time off. When I first came to Chelsea I had only seven days off. The second year, I had only 15 days. And this year it was difficult starting the season because there was only one month off because of the World Cup. But I am feeling good now. When your body is fresh you can give everything and run everywhere.

Q: There has been a lot of talk recently and a lot of stories written in the papers about Shevchenko's first season at Chelsea. Some people think he is not happy and that he could soon end up going back to Italy. Do you think it's normal for a new player to struggle at Chelsea and in England?

A: I think he is going through some of the same things that I did. I'm not scared for him, I'm confident for him. I know that the English people want you to score quick, run everywhere. But it's not easy when you're not used to playing that way, to the English style. He came from Milan where they play football a different way. It is a different culture of football.

Q: I was surfing the Internet recently and came across a story about a video game that includes you and Thierry Henry and rates him as the top striker in the world. You said something about being the best. What's the story?

A: It was a joke. We were doing some advertising for this game and I was joking. There is nothing between him and me, we're friends.

And I'm not this kind of person to say I am the best. It is not for me to say. It is for the journalists and the fans of football. The game is a collective sport, not an individual sport. Look at a sport like tennis: it is easier to say that the best is Roger Federer. But in football, a striker cannot score alone. You need balls to come to you to perform. You can be the best striker, but if they don't give you the ball it is difficult to perform.

Q: Is it strange for you and the club to be in second place in the E.P.L.

A: The season I arrived in England we started like this. Arsenal was in front and we were something like five points behind. I know how it is to be in second place but, in a way, it is unusual for us, for Chelsea. But this is a good point for us. We have been the best for two years and I think people don't like to admit it. All the games we have to play are important to win. If we beat Arsenal and then lose to the next team then we are in trouble.

Q: You helped to lead Ivory Coast to its first appearance in the World Cup finals. How important was that for you?

A: The World Cup means a lot, it means everything. Looking back four years, Ivory Coast had no sponsor, no team and the country was in big trouble. It was also difficult to unite the players. We had a tough qualifying group with Cameroon, but what we did was fantastic for our people. It was a big achievement.

For me, it meant a lot to play for Ivory Coast. It was a fantastic experience even if it ended up being a disappointment. It was a big experience and we hope to do it again in 2010.

Q: During the World Cup there were some stories out of Germany saying that you wanted to leave Chelsea, that you had been seen having lunch with an official from A.C. Milan. Was there any truth to those stories?

A: At the end of every season people talk about who is moving, who is staying. I knew in my heart that I was going to be one of the biggest strikers in the world. There's nothing wrong with that. But you always are thinking about fitting in with the best club and for me that club was Chelsea and with Jose. He always has given me confidence and that is very important to me. Leave Chelsea? There's just no point.

Q: Since you arrived at Stamford Bridge the club has kept adding some of the top players in the world. Do you worry about getting enough playing time?

A: The competition is very intense. Everyone wants to play. In the end everybody is behind the team, even the players who don't play. When we win, it is the Chelsea name that wins, not the individual.

Q: You and Chelsea have come to the United States the past two summers. Have you enjoyed those trips?

A: What I really like about the States is that it is a very different culture. Who knows, maybe after my career I will go there to try something. In terms of football, I think it has improved a lot since the first time I was there four years ago. I like this team D.C. United.

They are good and strong. And that young boy [Freddy] Adu is very good.

(Adu was traded by D.C. United to Real Salt Lake earlier this month).

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DC United? Sounds familiar! I hope to see these guys play once I'm in DC.