Drogba names Osimhen his favorite, wary of Eagles' threat but Peseiro is confident against Elephants
Chelsea legend Didier Drogba has picked Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen as his favourite active footballer snubbing some high-profile names like treble winner Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
The 45-year-old retired striker was asked some quick-fire questions while at an award show in France on a wide range of topics, including his favourite teammate when he was at Chelsea.
Despite playing alongside legends like Mikel Obi, Michael Ballack, and William Gallas, Drogba picked Frank Lampard as his favourite teammate.
Drogba’s choice is however warranted as the retired England midfielder is only one of two players who have outscored him in the history of Chelsea.
In the quick-fire session with Sports Illustrated, Drogba was also asked to name his favourite active player at the moment and he answered without any hesitation, “Victor Osimhen.”
The 24-year-old marksman is currently one of the best strikers in world football, despite the drama surrounding him and his club, Napoli in recent days.
Some fans have drawn comparisons between Osimhen and Drogba, as the two strikers have a similar potency in front of goal. Drogba managed 302 club goals in his career, while Osimhen currently sits at 105 club goals.
In an interview with the Nigerian Football Federation in 2022, Osimhen said that he looked up to Drogba while growing up.
“My childhood idol is Didier Drogba. The goal moment I cherished was when I scored against Chelsea. The feeling was special because I know a lot of my friends who are Chelsea fans, and before the game, they texted me that they didn’t care if Chelsea won, as long as I scored.
“They wanted me to actualise my dream and that’s one of the best moments in my career,” the 24-year-old said.
Meanwhile, Drogba has predicted a difficult duel against the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The host nation are in Group A with the three-time African champions, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.
The Elephants and the Super Eagles will be favourites to qualify from the group.
Drogba said playing the Super Eagles promises to be a thrilling early test for the Elephants.
“It is a very difficult group. Nigeria is of course one of the favourites and to have them in our group, it is going to be an exciting challenge.
“But we are up for it. This is the beauty of a competition like Afcon, so we are ready to take on the challenge and let the best teams of this group and all the groups qualify,” Drogba was quoted by CAFonline.
But Super Eagles’ coach, Jose Peseiro, is unfazed by the group opponents his side will face at the forthcoming 2023 Afcon especially host Cote d’Ivoire the Portuguese coach expressed confidence his side had a chance of winning the tournament despite being drawn against tough opponents.
“We want to win the Afcon, so it’s not important to choose or want to avoid any opponent.
“The best moments are all those I was and I’m with my players, working to improve our organisation and our team spirit.”
The Eagles last won the AFCON 10 years ago in South Africa and they defeated Cote d’Ivoire
in the quarter-final on the way to that triumph in 2013.
