Two weeks ago, it was the duel everyone expected. And it finally came up short. Only 10 minutes, the time that Samuel Eto’o got on the lawn of the Telekom Arena in Istanbul and Didier Drogba for his part gave way after a tough match against his former teammates.
But nothing to start the enthusiasm of fans Tuesday during a reunion between the two men. There is an optimism to see the two African stars early in the game. Especially for the Cameroonian who once again did not make the trip this weekend in the defeat against Aston Villa. Mourinho had said Eto’o was performing in matches at Stamford Bridge: “There is no problem with Samuel. I just felt that in this type of game outside, against teams who defend normally, aggressive defenders like Fernando Torres are the best choice, and if I needed to take a chance late in the game, I would have used Demba Ba.”
At Chelsea, a legend is back!
“Didier is a legend for what he achieved at Chelsea. This is something unique. You know, African players have never met their fair value. We try to oppose to each other while we may have done more than any other European or South American” players. The tribute comes from Samuel Eto’o himself a few weeks ago in Le Monde. Hence the image left in London by Drogba, who spent eight years at Chelsea with a dozen of awards including the most resounding two years ago in the final of the Champions League.
A competition, the former Marseille player wants to win it again. And this will require a success tonight against his former team in a stadium he knows well. After a 1-1 draw in Turkey, Galatasaray will necessarily win to advance in the next round. Furthermore, Drogba captures a nostalgic return.
“But I proved nothing, he has indicated, however. I come here with another team, I just want to qualify. I have nothing personal against Chelsea. “
Drogba and Eto’o are currently the two best African scorers in the history of the Champions League. The Ivorian dominates Cameroonian with 42 goals, excluding preliminary rounds, against 29 for Eto’o. However at the charts, it is the captain of the Indomitable Lions who raced in the lead with 20 trophies (17 in clubs and 3 with Cameroon), against 14 for Drogba.