The Didier Drogba effect: How the Ivorian gave the Impact its swagger
The charismatic soccer star from the Ivory Coast
tra-la-la'd his way into Impact fans' hearts
Didier Drogba may have failed to score a goal in
the Impact's conference semi-final against
Columbus, but the Impact likely would not have
made it to Ohio were it not for him.
The Drogba effect on the field is right there in
black and white: 14 games, 12 goals.
But off the field, the
charismatic Ivorian
tra-la-la'd his way into
Montreal and into the
hearts of Impact
fans with his love of
music and his locker-
room presence.
'Straight up Africa'
The video of
Drogba's impromptu
"dance off" with
Impact Academy
players sums up
perfectly what kind of
teammate he is.
I noticed the Impact
seemed to have a
different swagger,
right from the moment that player Dominic Oduro
told me that music-wise, the locker room was
"straight up Africa right now."
Scoring a hat trick in his first start didn't hurt
Drogba's popularity with the fans either.
Suddenly everywhere I went in this town, people
were talking about the Impact.
They were excited about this team and the new
star who picked us ! Montreal! to continue a
career that spanned the Premier League with
Chelsea as the fourth highest goal scorer of all
time and, on the international pitch, with the
Ivory Coast national team.
Brokered civil-war truce
The man stopped a civil war in his country, for
goodness sakes.
When his team, the Elephants, qualified for the
World Cup for the first time in Ivorian history in
2006, the country was five years into a bloody
civil war.
Dropping to one knee in the locker room after the
winning match, Drogba – the team captain – led
his teammates in a plea for peace.
"Let us come together and put this war behind
us," they said – a plea which helped to broker a
nationwide truce.
Playing with Drogba 'just fantastic'
Drogba is, by all accounts, a great guy – a point
underscored when you talk to his African
teammates on the Impact.
"A kid growing up in Africa, you hear 'Didier
Drogba,' you start beaming," says Oduro, a
Ghanaian. "For me to be playing next to him,
even having a conversation with him, you know,
trying to teach you some stuff! ...I have guys
calling me from back home, asking, 'How is it to
play with him?'... It's just fantastic!"
And Drogba's contagious energy transformed
Impact games into a frenetic, bell-ringing,
anything-can-happen spectacle for traditional
soccer fans as well as for newcomers who have
just woken up to discover Montreal's other team.
We will find out Nov. 23 if Drogba has won over
the MLS as well, when the winner of this
season's Newcomer of the Year award is
announced.
Drogba is a finalist, along with Toronto FC's
Sebastian Giovinco and Mike Grella of the New
York Red Bulls.
Montreal Impact forward Didier Drogba grimaces
as he comes into contact with Columbus Crew
defender Harrison Afful during the MLS playoff
soccer game at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus,
Ohio on Nov. 8, 2015. The Associated Press/Fred
Squillante
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