Chelsea brought Drogba on board from Marseille in 2004, and during his two stints at Stamford Bridge, he secured four Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy.
Renowned as a Chelsea icon, Drogba also amassed a host of personal accolades throughout his career and is highly regarded for his humanitarian efforts and charitable contributions. ..Continue Reading
Before hanging up his boots in 2018, he played a pivotal role as both player and part-owner of Phoenix Rising in the USL Championship. He also co-hosted the prestigious Ballon d’Or ceremony twice.
On both those occasions, Lionel Messi claimed the men’s prize, while Megan Rapinoe and Alexia Putellas earned the Ballon d’Or Féminin.
In a conversation with B/R Football, Drogba was asked to highlight a player who, in his view, was unfairly passed over for the Ballon d’Or — a global award voted on by journalists.
The former Ivorian striker chose a notable London rival and offered high praise for the overlooked talent.
“Thierry Henry,” he said. “He deserved it like ten times, because I think he was fantastic in the Premier League, but also for the national team and in the Champions League he was exceptional.
“Scoring goals, winning games on his own and for his team. I mean, we’re talking about Thierry Henry, I don’t know if there’s anything more to say.”
The Arsenal striker was a standout star in the Premier League.
Originally a winger, Thierry Henry was transformed by Arsène Wenger into a prolific forward, netting 175 goals in 258 Premier League matches between 1999 and 2012.
He holds the best goals-per-game ratio among players who have reached the 100-goal milestone in the league.
Henry’s playing style was truly distinctive — his flair for beating defenders was just as formidable as his goal-scoring prowess.
During his peak years, Arsenal clinched the Premier League title twice, including the historic unbeaten season of 2003-04.
They also lifted the FA Cup three times in a span of four years and reached the Champions League final in 2006, where they fell to a Barcelona team that Henry would later join.
In Spain, he added two La Liga titles and finally captured the elusive Champions League trophy in 2009.
Henry was honored with induction into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021 and is widely considered one of the greatest players the league has ever seen.
