Didier Drogba, welcome to Chelsea. This transfer has taken a long time; you must be overjoyed to be here?
Yes, I am very happy to be here and I hope it will be a very good and very long adventure with Chelsea and with all the fans of Chelsea.
You started we hear as a defender. How did you change to an attacker?
I started when I played at my first club, and my uncle told me “go forward, it is better for you”, so I went forward, and here I am at Chelsea today!
At the start of your career with Laval and with Le Mans, and when you first went to Guingamp, you didn’t score a lot of goals?
Yes, it was difficult for me because before playing in Guingamp or in Le Mans, I was in the lower division and it was new for me so it was difficult to score for me, to adapt my physique, but now it is okay!
And it went right for you all of a sudden two years ago, and you got seventeen goals I think?
Yes. You know the work, if you work, you play good and you are very happy. You know football, for me, it’s like fun, so I try to be happy.
You scored a lot of goals last season. What was your best goal?
Probably against Newcastle in the semi-final of the UEFA Cup, I think this is one of my best goals!
And now you’ve come to Chelsea. Do you know anything about our forwards, about Kezman, Gudjohnsen, Mutu?
Yes, I know a lot of things about them because in France, we look for the Championship, and Gudjohnsen, Hasselbaink, and Mutu are very good players, and Makelele, William Gallas …
Ex-Marseille!
Yes, ex-Marseille. All these players are very, very good.
And you, for Marseille, played against Porto and José Mourinho, and scored. Did you play well?
I think I played . .. yes I played well, because I think it’s the reason why I am here. Because I was in the group of Porto in the Champions League, the first two, so it’s a big chance for me to come here to work with the coach, José Mourinho, and play for my new team, Chelsea.
You’ve been a regular international player for the Ivory Coast for the last two years. You’ve scored a lot of goals for them.
Yes, it’s very important for me to play for my national team. I want to do many things for my team, national team and for my club for sure, I will do my best to be next year like I was in Marseille, but better in Chelsea
And you are not coming to England on your own; you are coming with your family.
Yes, with my family because for me it’s very important because I need them to play my best football
You have three children, are they good footballers?
One of them, he will be a Chelsea footballer, the youngest.
Eidur Gudjohnsen met you at lunchtime and he said: “My God, you are big”
( laughs) I like ( Eidur), he plays very good
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