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4 Characteristics That Made the Legendary Didier Drogba Great

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Didier Drogba is a former professional football player from Ivory Coast and is considered one of the greatest ever from Africa. He came to prominence during his time with English Premier League football club, Chelsea FC. Some of his achievements include winning African Footballer of the Year twice and being the all-time leading scorer for his national team.

Winning the Champions League, European football’s most coveted club trophy is probably the most memorable of all his accolades. He was the kind of player that even rival fans respected for the impact he had on the game. Such players are not easily forgotten, and the following are some of the characteristics that made him great.

1. Man for the big moment

Didier has an enviable record of scoring important goals in big games, which became a personal trademark of his. In 10 cup finals, he scored 10 goals that haven’t been matched by many other players. 4 of those came in 4 FA Cup final games, a record he still holds for most goals by a player in a final.

As mentioned earlier, the most memorable of those 10 goals came in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final against Bayern Munich. What made it so special was that it was his final game as a Chelsea player during his first stint.  With two minutes remaining and Chelsea trailing 1-0, he scored a powerful header to level the score.

This forced extra time and Chelsea went on to win on penalties, with Drogba scoring the winning spot-kick. Some of his teammates used to say that he would be a different animal in preparation for big games. It goes to show that he had extra motivation to shine on the big stage.

“When I was young there were a lot of players more talented than me. They had pure talent. But my desire was stronger than their talent” – Didier Drogba

2. Competitive spirit

He certainly wouldn’t have excelled at the level he did without the competitive spirit of a fighter. His upbringing also wasn’t very rosy, and he could have missed out on his great career. Most professional footballers go through an academy in their early years to nurture their talent and potential, which he didn’t.

This was because he never settled in one place in his younger years. The family struggles he had as a young person forced him to move around a lot. By the time he got to his 20s, he had to make his mark otherwise he would never have the chance to be a professional.

He got that opportunity with the French football club, Le Mans with whom he signed his first professional contract. Sometimes in life, you just have to fight for what you believe in, even if it looks improbable.

3. Tenacity

Like any successful person, Didier Drogba had his fair share of disappointments throughout his career. One of the most notable was his sending off in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final against Manchester United. With Chelsea having the upper hand and three minutes remaining, Drogba received a red card for slapping an opponent.

Had he stayed on, Chelsea would have won because he was going to take the final spot-kick that would win the trophy. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be yet they were so close. The following season they had a chance at playing in the final again, but those hopes were snuffed out by Barcelona in the semis.

However three years later in what was, for the most part, a poor season, they again made it to the final. Through an almost bizarre set of circumstances, Chelsea somehow made it past a Barcelona team that was in its prime. In some ways, luck was on their side as they beat Barcelona in the semis before facing Bayern Munich.

This time, Drogba redeemed himself for what happened four years earlier by scoring the winning penalty. That level of persistence to keep trying after several failed attempts was impressive. It goes to show that persistence pays off eventually.

“I have won many trophies in my time, but nothing will ever top helping win the battle for peace in my country” – Didier Drogba

4. Highly influential

Beyond football, Drogba played a significant role in helping to bring an end to the civil war in Ivory Coast. That incident coincided with the Ivorian national team qualifying for their first-ever World Cup tournament in 2006. After their final qualifying game, he made a heartfelt speech on camera to his homeland calling for a cease-fire. It served to unite the war-torn nation and to rally around the national team to make its mark on the world stage.

For his efforts, he was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme. He continues to speak out about humanitarian prejudices in sports and being a voice for the voiceless. His heart for the people of Africa made him a popular figure with many people around the world. He invests a lot in his homeland to give younger generations opportunities to excel in life as he has. Real influence is measured by the lives you touch and leave in a better state than when you found them.

What are some of your fondest memories of Didier Drogba? Comment below!

Sija Mafu is an Online Enthusiast and Personal Development Fan. His vision is to see young people take responsibility for their lives and create bright futures for themselves, their families and society at large. He runs the Motivated2Inspire blog to inspire young people to pursue their life purpose. Also check out his free training courses to set you up for a life of success.

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Success Advice

How Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success

Your life is dictated by beliefs and biases that drive your thinking, behaviors, and decisions

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Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success (1)
Image Credit: Midjourney

Pause for a moment and ponder two pandemic-era beliefs: First, closing schools will control the spread of a serious virus. Second, the consequences of such school closures—particularly social interruption and the prevention of immunity—are worse than becoming sick with the virus. (more…)

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How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

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Image Credit: Midjourney

In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be. 

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time. 

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.

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Success Advice

Here’s a Young Man’s Antidote for the Uncertainty of the Modern World

Why do a lot of young guys lack confidence in today’s world? 

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We all have been told that confidence is a key factor in achieving success and happiness in life. But what is it exactly? (more…)

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Toxic Leadership: 5 Ways to Identify a Bad Leader

if you have a leader who displays any of the toxic traits, it’s time to move on to greener pastures.

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Image Credit: Midjourney

Let’s be honest, we’ve all crossed paths with a toxic leader in our careers at some point. Unfortunately, while some toxic leaders don’t even bother to hide their behaviour, some know very well how to conceal their true selves behind a strong-built facade. The latter is the most dangerous of the two. (more…)

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