• Champions League

Drogba drops hint over Chelsea exit

ESPN staff
April 17, 2012

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, fresh from his Man-of-the-Match display in the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham, has hinted that the Champions League semi-final with Barcelona might be the last European tie he competes in for the London club.

Drogba scored a wonder goal to inspire Chelsea to a 5-1 victory over Spurs at Wembley, and if he reproduces such form in Wednesday's first leg against Barcelona the Blues will feel they have a real chance of causing an upset.

At his best the Ivorian remains one of the most unplayable forwards in world football, but he has found first-team opportunities increasingly hard to come by this season. And, with Nicolas Anelka recently appointed to the coaching staff at Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, it is expected that Drogba might join his former team-mate in the summer.

"Rotation has been new for me but there's nothing bad about it if the team is winning games and going forward," Drogba commented. "Of course I'd like to play in more games but so would all the other players so I can't complain.

"[This game] is not about my last year here," he said. "I just want to win trophies with Chelsea, with my team and that's the most important thing."

Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard knows Lionel Messi will be the key man to stop at Stamford Bridge, and he made no effort to play down the threat of the Argentinian, labelling him the best ever.

"I grew up on Maradona, who was my idol as a player, but Messi has taken it even further," Lampard said in the Telegraph. "To score 70 goals, which he'll probably end up with this season, that's crazy. Absolutely unbelievable."

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