5 Players Who Received A Hero's Welcome
3. Didier Drogba - Chelsea
''I think the best thing I can bring to this club and team will be to stay the same as I was during my first spell here. I don't have to change, everybody knows my character, my attitude and my mentality. They know if I'm here it's not just to smile and thank people for welcoming me back. I want to win, I want to share my desire and will to win games. The squad is young but to get the best results you have to push yourself." Didier Drogba, July 2014.
It may have just been a pre-season friendly, and Mourinhos freshly-assembled Blues squad may have been on the receiving end of a 3-0 humbling, but nothing could dampen the Chelsea faithfuls spirits. The club legend, whose last kick for the club had presented them with a first ever European Cup two years earlier, was back. The love affair had been re-awakened.
Didier Drogba hasnt enjoyed the best of times since leaving Chelsea in 2012. Having enjoyed a torrid time at Shanghai Shenhua, failing to replicate the impact on Asian football that David Beckham once had in the US, he eventually wound up at Galatasaray, where he enjoyed a lukewarm experience. Chelsea have added a Europa League to their trophy cabinet in Drogbas absence, but other than that, theres been nothing to write home about.
The crowd were in full voice, however, when Drogba entered the fray at the Weserstadion. Playing the second half, the Ivorian record goal-scorer was showered with adulation from his adoring support. Romelu Lukaku may have been shuffled out the door to Everton in a £28 million deal, and the club may live to regret their short-termism, but for now, Chelsea supporters will just savour the luxury of thanking their Champions League hero every second week.