With one tweet, Didier Drogba sent Montreal Impact supporters into raptures. His 11-word message on Sunday morning stated that he was "On way to Qatar to do some preparation work for pre-season [emojis] @impactmontreal," and a subsequent statement from the club confirmed that the one-time Ivory Coast captain and Chelsea legend will be in Major League Soccer with the Impact for the 2016 season.
Chelsea flirtation
Drogba spent nine seasons with the West London club, and is a bonafide club legend. Over the course of his nine seasons, he won nearly all there is to win in European club football; he scored 164 goals in all competitions, won the Barclays Premier League four times, three League Cups, four FA Cups and a UEFA Champions League crown. His performance against Bayern Munich in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final will live long in the memory of all Chelsea supporters, and few moments better encapsulate his time as the Cobham club than his soaring header to single-handedly get the Blues back level at the death.
Drogba retains the admiration of all associated with the club, which is why it came as no surprise that owner Roman Abramovitch attempted to lure him back with Chelsea in turmoil this season. Manager Jose Mourinho was sacked in December after beginning the worst title defense in Barclays Premier League history, and the Blues now sit in 13th place in the league table. Thus, Abramovitch offered Drogba a coaching role in an effort to drag Chelsea of their present situation. According to L'Equipe, he considered retiring from the Impact and accepting the offer.
However, eventually the striker came to the conclusion that now was not the time for him to leave Montreal behind.
Impact react
The Impact will be thrilled that the man who scored 11 goals in 11 appearances last season is coming back, and were quick to roll out a press release after Drogba's tweet. “Forward Didier Drogba will not be present for the opening of the camp, but he will be doing preparation work in view of the upcoming season,” the team said in a statement. “He will join the team for the second part of training camp, which will take place from February 15 to 28 in St. Petersburg, Florida.”
The remainder of the Montreal team will report to camp early this week.