Didier Drogba: Jose Mourinho's funny interview on telling Abramovich to sign Chelsea legend

When you think of players that kick-started the Jose Mourinho revolution at Chelsea, a certain Didier Drogba will always be one of the first to spring to mind.

The Ivorian hitman terrorised Premier League defences with his swashbuckling brand of hard-as-nails, up-front bully play while also possessing an eye for the magnificent.

He was almost impossible to pin down due to his immense strength and his stunning ability to score from just about anywhere.

He was the king of playing with his back to goal as well, able to turn what looked like an unthreatening moment into an iconic goal in the blinking of an eye.

Over the course of two spells at Chelsea, he would play 381 times, scoring 164 goals and notching up 87 assists for the club.

He is a true Premier League icon that is more than deserving of his place among the pages of the English top flight’s history.

Today marks the 18th anniversary of his signing for the west London club and so we thought we would have a look back at a brilliant interview Jose Mourinho once gave about the Ivorian joining the ranks at Stamford Bridge.

While working in a punditry role for beIN Sports, Mourinho recalled a conversation he had with then Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, over the striker the club were going to sign.

You can see the interview in the clip below:

"Mr Abramovich…pay, and don't speak"Jose Mourinho reveals the conversation which led to Didier Drogba joining Chelsea in 2004#CFC⚽️⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/REum1zxZY4

“I remember clearly Roman Abramovich asking me: ‘Who do you want as the striker?’ All the biggest names in Europe at that time but I told him ‘Drogba’.

“He said: ‘Who is he? Where is he playing?’

I replied: ‘Mr. Abramovich, pay, pay and don’t speak.’

Brilliant. Jose