‘Really tough’ Chelsea forward was harder to face than Thierry Henry or Wayne Rooney

Add as preferred source on Google

Legendary Brazilian Gilberto Silva has issued high praise for former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, putting him on a pedestal above Arsenal icon Thierry Henry and Manchester United all-time great Wayne Rooney.

Chelsea have always boasted a remarkable array of forwards, from Didier Drogba and Peter Osgood to Gianfranco Zola and Diego Costa, just to name a few of their fantastic serial goal-scorers.

Even in the current regime under Enzo Maresca, the likes of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap show huge potential and could one day join the list of Blues superstars.

But there was one forward who stood out above the rest: the boisterous Ivorian.

Gilberto Silva picks Didier Drogba over Wayne Rooney and Thierry Henry

Drogba was one of the most feared strikers of his generation, earning rave reviews from opponents throughout his career. That includes Gilberto Silva, who spoke about the ex-Premier League goalscorer to Rio Ferdinand.

He was asked to pick the more difficult player to face out of Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry, and Drogba, with his final verdict going to the Ivorian.

He said: “I played against two of them, Wayne [Rooney] and [Didier] Drogba. Drogba is always tough, a big guy, really tough. I was lucky because I didn’t have to mark him.

“I think if I were a centre-back, it would be much harder to play against him because of his physicality.”

Carles Puyol also picks Drogba

The overwhelming response was that Henry was the more dangerous of the three, but there was another player who decided Drogba was also the cream of the crop.

Barcelona centre-back Carles Puyol also picked Drogba, though his view was slightly different. He said:
“Henry and Drogba. Henry in the final in 2006 was amazing, and Drogba – many times I fought him!”

Puyol also said the same to UEFA in a 2017 interview. He said when asked about his toughest opponent: “Lionel Messi in training. But if I had to pick an opponent, [Didier] Drogba was always very difficult to face.”

Greatness recognises greatness. While the opinions of these legendary players differ, one thing remains the same: the immense respect they have for each other.