10 Boyhood Arsenal Fans The Gunners Should Have Signed

“As a young kid growing up in France, the team that everyone was supporting was Arsenal because of Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Sylvain Wiltord and Arsene Wenger as well. They were showing a lot of Arsenal games and I was a fan, at that time, of the team. Playing against one of my idols like Henry was kind of a challenge and I did everything to play well against them.” - Didier Drogba, December 2015.

They say we hurt the ones we love the most. In Didier Drogba’s case, this is probably true having netted 16 goals against the club he used to fawn over as an adolescent in the Ivory Coast. So often a thorn in their side, the powerful hitman still gives the Arsenal fans nightmare having bulldozed through their defence to find the net on nearly every occasion he faced the Gunners. It’s a funny way of showing affection to the club he used to adore.

“I like to play against Arsenal because they used to be the team people supported in France because of all the French players there, so I was supporting them as well, but since I am (at) Chelsea I do the job for my team.” - Didier Drogba, November 2009.

The prolific Ivorian almost did sign for his boyhood idols, with Wenger having raised an interest in taking him from Guingamp in 2002 - two years before his big-money move to Chelsea.

“I don’t know if Arsene Wenger regrets it - you will have to ask him. But remember he did have Thierry Henry! I don’t think it was my destiny.” - Didier Drogba, October 2010.

Despite his status as a Chelsea legend - don’t be surprised if a statue is built outside Stamford Bridge soon - the Arsenal ties still linger in the family, with his son stubbornly choosing to pledge his allegiance to the Gunners.