Retirement has posed no obstacle to former Chelsea player, Didier Drogba, in maintaining a bitterness towards Tottenham Hotspur. Even when complimenting current Spurs captain Heung-min Son, Drogba cannot resist getting in a jibe.
Drogba was a thorn in Spurs’ side
Tottenham fans are unlikely to look back on Didier Drogba’s playing career too fondly. He was an ever-present feature within Chelsea FC’s most successful period as a club from 2004 to 2015, where Chelsea finished above Tottenham in 10 out of those 11 Premier League seasons.
During that decade, out of the 19 times Drogba faced Tottenham Hotspur, he was on the losing side on only four occasions. One of those was Tottenham’s memorable win in the final of the League Cup, but more often than not, Drogba was a thorn in Tottenham’s side.
It seems even since his retirement in 2018, Drogba is unable to let the rivalry go. When talking about Tottenham’s current players, he is unable to resist the urge to mock the club and remain neutral.
‘Son’s only problem…’
In a recent interview for EA FC, Didier Drogba was sat alongside other retired footballing legends Alessandro Del Piero and Kaká. There was a discussion around the Spurs captain, where Kaká praised the Tottenham winger for his ability and noticeably lauded Heung-min Son for staying “at a big club like Tottenham”.
This line prompted a visceral facial reaction from Drogba, who, when given the opportunity to comment said: “I think the only problem with him [Heung-min Son] is he’s playing for Tottenham”.
He continued: “But apart from that, he’s a great player, he’s become a great leader for the national team and Tottenham.
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“It’s good to see him play the way he does because he’s so genuine, like the way he carries himself on the pitch – I like it.”
This statement garnered laughter from Del Piero and Kaká, who had just complimented the club. The reaction is indicative that this kind of jibe is fundamentally light-hearted and a regular occurrence amongst fans of rival teams.
Why would Drogba think any differently?
Didier Drogba is of course likely to hold the opinion that Tottenham are incomparable to his former side. He arrived in the Premier League at the start of the Abramovich era when the former Chelsea owner began to use his controversial personal wealth to dominate English football.
The former striker is likely very proud of his on-field accomplishments. Playing a part in taking Chelsea a long way down the road from winning a total of 13 trophies in the first 100 years of their existence (before Abramovich), through to today where they have increased that total to 34.
The history of English clubs is unlikely to hold much relevance when discussing the stature of clubs, as they can only be judged in the here and now. Chelsea are currently sitting comfortably above Tottenham in the Premier League table and are flowing under Enzo Maresca.
The necessity to look backwards may only come when the Premier League concludes their investigation into how exactly Abramovich funded their success over the last two decades, and judge whether they adhered to the rules of Financial Fair Play.
Son is a generational talent who could have played for any club in Europe over the last few years. If Chelsea had perhaps chosen to swoop in while he was at Bayer Leverkusen and offer wages few other clubs could even consider matching, in a similar manner to their approach with Eden Hazard and Willian, then maybe Son could have shared in some of Chelsea’s well-earned club success instead.