Demystifying a Legend: Didier Drogba

Ivorian and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba is widely regarded as one of the greatest African strikers of all time and is up there with the best in Premier League history. And while he did enough in his fantastic career to earn that reputation, some might argue he could have done more considering the immense talent he possessed.

Drogba was a man for the big moments, perhaps the most clutch player in recent memory (other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo of course), he had a knack for scoring important goals. He scored nine goals in nine cup finals for Chelsea, his 36 Champions League goals are the most any player has scored for the club in the competition's history.

The problem with that is, the "big occasions" in a football season don't come as often as the small games, the opportunity to stat-pad. The term 'stat pad' has been abused by Twitter trolls but it is absolutely necessary for a striker to have good stats, a feature of consistent goalscoring mostly accomplished by scoring consistently in smaller games. 

For instance, the late title winner against QPR is the first thing that pops to mind when thinking of Sergio Aguero but his legacy as a Premier League great isn't limited to that moment or any other similar one. Aguero is the fourth highest scorer in Premier League history because he scored a bunch of goals no one remembers, stats are important.