William Gallas Admits He Feared Playing Against Didier Drogba

Former Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham defender William Gallas has admitted that former team-mate and opponent Didier Drogba was so good he used to make him ‘s**t himself’.

The former Marseille pair formed a close friendship at Stamford Bridge, with Gallas joining the Blues in 2001 before Drogba came to the party three years later. 

Between 2004 and 2006, the rapport between the two manifested itself on the pitch, and yielded two ?Premier League titles before the defender controversially left for ?Arsenal as part of the deal for Ashley Cole. 

Didier Drogba,Philippe Senderos

He would later go on to feature against Drogba for both the Gunners and fierce rivals ?Tottenham, and Gallas has admitted that while he had an appreciation for Drogba’s ability while on the same side, it wasn’t until he left that he truly understood the fear the Ivorian struck into defenders – particularly his former team-mate Philippe Senderos.  

“I was used to seeing him in training, but you know how it goes: you’re never going at 100% on the training pitch,” Gallas said via ?The Athletic.  
?
?“So I never really understood why Senderos would just go missing in every match he played against Didier. But when I played against him myself in the Premier League with Arsenal, then I understood.

William Gallas,Didier Drogba

“He had something about him, a power I’d never sensed as a team-mate, an aura I had never seen before. Facing that, you just s**t yourself. He was so intimidating that it rattles you.”

In his eight years at ?Chelsea before leaving for Shanghai Shenhua, Drogba made his name as one of the most prolific strikers of the Premier League era, as he netted 164 goals over his 381 appearances for the Blues.  

To give you a sense for just why both Gallas and Senderos so feared the striker, 12 of those appearances came against Arsenal, and he was on target 13 times over the course of those matches.


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