World Player of the Week: Didier Drogba - Chelsea

May 21, 2012 12:00:00 PM

World Player of the Week

Didier Drogba
AGE	34
POSITION	Forward
FOR	Chelsea
WEEK IN NUMBERS
APPS (GOALS SCORED)	1 (1)
TIME ON PITCH	120
PREVIOUS WINS	2

Bayern Munich

1-1 (3-4 on pens)

Chelsea

It seemed that it was written in the stars - one of the most decorated players in Chelsea’s history scoring arguably the club’s most important ever goal. The English side won the Champions League for the first time in their history on Saturday, and a certain Didier Drogba stole all the plaudits.

The Ivorian striker had been a key player for Chelsea as they defied the odds in the knockout stages of Europe’s premier club competition, and he starred once more in the final. Drogba scored an 88th minute equaliser for the Blues to cancel out Thomas Muller's opener just five minutes earlier and forced the game into extra-time following a 1-1 stalemate after 90 minutes. It was a thunderous header from a corner, as the 34-year-old showcased his strength and power in the air.

Despite conceding a penalty in extra-time that could have handed Bayern the victory, Drogba recovered his cool and took the final spot-kick during the shootout, and converted successfully to secure a 4-3 win on penalties for the London club.

Intriguingly, it could prove to be Drogba’s final kick for Chelsea as he has not yet signed a new contract with the club. However, after his heroic performance and widespread calls from fans for to him to stay on at Stamford Bridge, the striker may just opt to continue his playing career for the European champions.

Congratulations to Drogba, Goal.com's 157th World Player of the Week winner!

Honourable Mentions

Edinson Cavani - Napoli Cavani inspired Napoli to their first major trophy in 22 years, leading them to Coppa Italia glory. He opened the scoring from the penalty spot against Juventus in the final at Rome's Stadio Olimpico and was the catalyst of many of his side’s counterattacks, as Napoli won 2-0.
Petr Cech - Chelsea Drogba stole the limelight in Munich, but Cech’s contribution to Chelsea’s win over Bayern cannot be undermined. He was kept busy during the 90 minutes and made a stunning save from an Arjen Robben spot-kick in extra-time. Cech also made crucial blocks during the penalty shootout.
Dario Conca - Guangzhou In the final matchday of the group stage in the Asian Champions League, Conca was the standout player. He helped Guangzhou Evergrande qualify for the last 16 in style, providing the assist for Gao Lin's opener before converting a late penalty in a 2-1 win that saw them through.
John Utaka - Montpellier Utaka was the hero for Montpellier on the final day of the Ligue 1 season as he led his side to their first-ever title triumph in France. Utaka scored both goals in Montpellier’s 2-1 victory at relegated Auxerre that was marred by crowd trouble from the home supporters.
Kazuma Watanabe - FC Tokyo Watanabe came on for FC Tokyo in the 68th minute of their J-League match against Sagan Tosu with the team trailing 2-0. He then proceeded to score a 13-minute hat-trick, finding the target in the 75th, 82nd and 88th minutes to lead his to a sensational 3-2 victory.

On Sunday we encouraged our readers to nominate their choices for the best player of the week and here are some of your comments:

Jude in Canada backed our decision to select Drogba due to his performance in the Champions League final.

"Drogba deserves the award without a doubt. He scored a crucial header to level the game late on and then hit the winning penalty."

Sulayman Musa Minna from Nigeria was also in favour of Drogba winning the accolade.

"Drogba should be the World Player of the Week. His powerful header in the 88th minute and his calm spot-kick won the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, and that is enough for the Ivorian to win the prize."

Alfie Accra in Ghana pointed out a certain Ghanaian forward who did not feature at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

"Abdul Majeed Waris scored five goals for Hacken in the Swedish top flight. I think he is a worthy mention. Drogba, of course, had a more telling contribution to Chelsea's European conquest."

Tega in Malaysia went for Cech instead of Drogba as the World Player of the Week.

"I will back Petr Cech for the prestigious award this week. He was very strong between the posts for Chelsea and kept the Bayern players at bay, making stunning saves in the penalty area. He showed against the Bavarians that he is second to none."

James from Sweden went for another Chelsea player, but not Drogba or Cech.

"David Luiz gets my vote. Nobody thinks about the defence that stopped Bayern from scoring more than one goal in normal time, and the Brazilian was the pick of the defenders."

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.

You can also help us choose a worthy recipient of the weekly accolade by leaving your nominations and comments here. Your suggestions will be taken into consideration.

It won't necessarily be the best player in the world - at least not usually - but whoever we crown will have accomplished 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...

Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Sign up today with Coral and get a £50 FREE bet - no strings attached!
Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET!