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Goal.com World Player of the Week: Didier Drogba - Chelsea & Ivory Coast
Join Goal.com in saluting another global player worthy of recognition...
16 Aug 2010 13:27:00
Welcome to Goal.com's regular feature: Goal.com World Player of the Week. Each week our worldwide team of editors will put forward a selected candidate, as chosen by Goal.com International, who deserves recognition for achieving something special that matchday. It won't necessarily be the best player in the world - at least not usually - but whoever we nominate will have done something amazing. It might be for a particularly awesome performance or for something praiseworthy off the pitch - either way, the person in question deserves special attention...
Goal.com World Player of the Week #65: Didier Drogba
Club: Chelsea
Country: Ivory Coast
Age: 32
Role: Forward
Achievement: Hat-trick on opening day of season
Didier Drogba claimed recently that he is fully fit for the first time in six seasons following surgery on his injured groin.
It may have been an exaggeration on the part of the Ivorian but there can be no denying that he played with an added spring in his step against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
The forward, top scorer in the Premier League last season, picked up where he left off against Wigan in May; another home fixture, another three goals.
A free-kick, a poached effort and a deflected long ranger brought up three Chelsea goals; Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard stretched the margin to six.
Carlo Ancelotti's team displayed no mercy to their recently promoted opponents and sent out an ominous warning to their title rivals with a comprehensive victory.
Possessed of Drogba, one of the world's foremost marksmen, the Pensioners are looking every inch the title favourites.
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Goal.com World Player of the Week #65: Didier Drogba
Club: Chelsea
Country: Ivory Coast
Age: 32
Role: Forward
Achievement: Hat-trick on opening day of season
Didier Drogba claimed recently that he is fully fit for the first time in six seasons following surgery on his injured groin.
It may have been an exaggeration on the part of the Ivorian but there can be no denying that he played with an added spring in his step against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
The forward, top scorer in the Premier League last season, picked up where he left off against Wigan in May; another home fixture, another three goals.
A free-kick, a poached effort and a deflected long ranger brought up three Chelsea goals; Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard stretched the margin to six.
Carlo Ancelotti's team displayed no mercy to their recently promoted opponents and sent out an ominous warning to their title rivals with a comprehensive victory.
Possessed of Drogba, one of the world's foremost marksmen, the Pensioners are looking every inch the title favourites.
See highlights of Chelsea's Drogba-inspied victory here.
Congratulations to Didier, Goal.com's 65th World Player of the Week!
Honourable Mentions
Marlon Harewood - Blackpool
He has been a Blackpool player for less than a week but still managed to score twice as the newly-promoted Tangerines powered past a listless Wigan in the Premier League.
Welliton - Spartak Moscow
The Meat rediscovered their Spark with a 3-2 derby win over Lokomotiv. Their cause was in no small part helped by the Brazilian Welliton, who scored a hat-trick.
Frederic Kanoute - Sevilla
The former African footballer of the year came off the bench to score twice and allow his club to move two goals clear of Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. His feat was made all the more remarkable as he is currently engaged in Ramadan.
Ola Toivonen - PSV
The Swede's scoring exploits continue unabated; it's now five goals in two matches for Toivonen after a weekend hat-trick against De Graafschap.
Keiji Tamada - Nagoya Grampus
Scored the goals to lift his side into first place in the J-League table for the first time this season with a brace against Urawa Reds.
Mohamed Khoutir Ziti - JS Kabylie
Former African champions JS Kabylie registered a 1-0 victory over Egypt's Al Ahly in their Group B CAF Champions League clash on Sunday in Tizi Ouzou thanks to a strike from defender Mohamed Khoutir-Ziti on 24 minutes as JSK maintained their 100 per cent run in the competition with a place in the last four in sight.
Leave your notes of congratulations for Didier below, or discuss who else deserves a place in the sun this week...
Congratulations to Didier, Goal.com's 65th World Player of the Week!
Honourable Mentions
Marlon Harewood - Blackpool
He has been a Blackpool player for less than a week but still managed to score twice as the newly-promoted Tangerines powered past a listless Wigan in the Premier League.
Welliton - Spartak Moscow
The Meat rediscovered their Spark with a 3-2 derby win over Lokomotiv. Their cause was in no small part helped by the Brazilian Welliton, who scored a hat-trick.
Frederic Kanoute - Sevilla
The former African footballer of the year came off the bench to score twice and allow his club to move two goals clear of Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. His feat was made all the more remarkable as he is currently engaged in Ramadan.
Ola Toivonen - PSV
The Swede's scoring exploits continue unabated; it's now five goals in two matches for Toivonen after a weekend hat-trick against De Graafschap.
Keiji Tamada - Nagoya Grampus
Scored the goals to lift his side into first place in the J-League table for the first time this season with a brace against Urawa Reds.
Mohamed Khoutir Ziti - JS Kabylie
Former African champions JS Kabylie registered a 1-0 victory over Egypt's Al Ahly in their Group B CAF Champions League clash on Sunday in Tizi Ouzou thanks to a strike from defender Mohamed Khoutir-Ziti on 24 minutes as JSK maintained their 100 per cent run in the competition with a place in the last four in sight.
Leave your notes of congratulations for Didier below, or discuss who else deserves a place in the sun this week...
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Live!
England 1-0 Belgium, Netherlands 2-0 Northern Ireland - follow all the international action LIVE! ahead of Euro 2012
With countries across the continent gearing up for their final warm-up games ahead of Euro 2012, join us for all the action from Saturday's friendlies. Get in touch with us via Twitter with your reaction.
Hosted by Joe Doyle
Hosted by Joe Doyle
19:38 BST
Here's Roy Hodgson's reaction to the result and some injury chat: "I'm very pleased, it's been a hard week and we've used a lot of players. There was a lot of disruption in the second-half with substitutions – some forced upon us, some we wanted to do. But it's still a very good end to the week playing against a good Belgian team here. Arguably even stronger than the Norwegian team we played last week and I've got to be more than happy that we've come out with another victory."
"[Gary] Cahill I suppose is slightly more of a concern for me because it is a jaw injury. We're desperately hoping the CT scan doesn't show any fracture and it's just going to be a bruising situation, which will be bad enough, but won't stop him taking part in the tournament. As far as John's [Terry] concerned he felt his hamstring a little bit. Again it wasn't a major thing when he came off but we still need to scan it just to be 100 per cent sure."
Suffice to say, if Cahill has broken his jaw, he won't play any part in the tournament.
"[Gary] Cahill I suppose is slightly more of a concern for me because it is a jaw injury. We're desperately hoping the CT scan doesn't show any fracture and it's just going to be a bruising situation, which will be bad enough, but won't stop him taking part in the tournament. As far as John's [Terry] concerned he felt his hamstring a little bit. Again it wasn't a major thing when he came off but we still need to scan it just to be 100 per cent sure."
Suffice to say, if Cahill has broken his jaw, he won't play any part in the tournament.
19:35 BST
And another point from today: Eden Hazard wasn't great. Don't think you can judge him on one performance though. What do you think? Is it just a case of too much hype around the Chelsea-bound Belgian?
19:32 BST
We're getting plenty of people saying it was boring. PLENTY. But Spain scored seven goals in eight games at the World Cup and I didn't hear too many of their fans complaining. Or as Fran Stinchcombe points out on Twitter: "If we had lost but played free flowing attacking football would these people still have moaned?"
19:24 BST
No, no, no. I'll have none of that Emile Heskey shouting anymore! Hello, it's me, it's me, it's that D-O-Y-L-E. Yes, I'm Joe Doyle, and I'll be here for all the reaction to that England game. First things first, how did everyone see that game? Good performance? A touch boring? Let me know on Twitter.
19:17 BST
Right, that’s me, Danny Hart, done. Joe Doyle is itching to retain his LIVE! crown for the evening. England reaction, Netherlands-Northern Ireland updates and much, much more - Doyle will be across it all. England are gonna win the Euros! And remember: EMILE HESKEY. Cheerio!
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