He sparked coaching rumors when he visited India a few months back and while that’s nowhere on the agenda, Didier Drogba continues to enjoy his relationship with football through his foundation’s work and more recently, as the ambassador of France’s Ligue 1.
And that is where The Quint caught up with the man on the sidelines of Ligue 1’s Coup de la Ligue final in Lille over the weekend. Drogba in France. Drogba, where it all started for him.
Despite creating history and breaking a slew of records during his time at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, the former Ivory Coast international’s formative years were spent trudging through the domestic football leagues of France.
Having been sent to France at the age of five to stay with his uncle Michel Goba who was also a lower division footballer at the time, Drogba signed his first professional contract at the age of 21 with Ligue 2 club Le Mans. Four years later, he moved to Guingamp for a transfer fee of £80,000 and after changing two clubs in two years Didier Drogba’s raw speed arrived at Stamford Bridge, signed for a record sum of £24 million.
The rest, as the cliche says, is history.
More than a decade later, Drogba is once again in France watching the 2019 Coupe de le Ligue final between his former club Guingamp and Strasbourg, and that’s where he sat down for a short interaction with the press.
You played in England, you played in America, Turkey and China but what about French football is so special that it keeps bringing you back?
I believe in Ligue 1 you learn how to read the game. It’s very tactical as well. I learned a lot here, you know. Since I was 19 and when I turned professional, I played second division and first division here with big teams and I learned a lot here. It’s my stay here in France that really helped me when I went abroad with Chelsea and others.
But when people talk about football leagues, there’s the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A but Ligue 1 isn’t really known to be in that category just yet. Despite the stars that line-up for PSG. Where do you think French league football lags behind?
I think it’s just a matter of budget because the quality is there, you know. You have a lot of French players or people who played in the French league who are doing well abroad with other teams. I think it’s also an opportunity for the young players to perform and play and get some experience and go abroad and become great players. I think if all the clubs had the budget of Chelsea, Man United, Real Madrid, Barcelona… it would be a different thing.
And how long will it take to make it a Big 5 in Europe?
Each league has its own specificity. Premier League is known for the intensity of the game and it took them 20 years to change the game and for people to get more interested in the Premier League. Before that, who was really buying the Premier League? Few countries.
The same thing can happen to France. Having the opportunity to reach countries like India that’s how you develop the league and that’s how you have a bigger impact like the Premier League did being able to touch America, Asia and different continents. That’s how you have an impact and I believe that’s the strategy of the French football.
Do you think if someone like Jose Mourinho came to manage in Ligue 1 it would be a good thing?
Of course, you know, we’re talking about Jose Mourinho. Have some respect, man… as he would say.
Thoughts on Kylian Mbappe? Do you think he needs to move to another league now to grow further?
I think he’s still got room for improvement. He’s already at the top of international football with a few other guys. It’s a joy to watch him play.
It’s not for me to decide (if he should move). I think he showed his talent during the World Cup. He can play in any of the leagues. He’s got the potential to play in all of the leagues.
Is coaching something you’d consider in the near future? Your recent trip to India did have many hoping you’d start things with the ISL?
I never said that I was going to manage a club. It’s not something that is really tempting right now. I’m taking a little break from training for 20 years everyday so I needed a break. So I’m enjoying traveling doing some work with my foundation.
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