Drogba: Can he lead Africa to glory?

Didier Drogba may only be ninth among the top ten best players in Europe (according to whoever gave Messi the title) but he is undisputedly number one in Africa. Voted African footballer of the year his impact on his country of origin, Cote D'Ivoire, is unsurpassed. With his decisive captainship the country qualified for the first World Cup in their history in 2006, reached the African Cup of Nations Finals the same year and the semifinals two years later.
Last weekend, after the Ivorian scored a spectacular goal against Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, the rival manager, said, that Drogba "doesn't do a lot", but is still quite deadly when on the field of play.
This concept of 'not doing a lot' is striking: Drogba joined the EPL in 2004 when he signed a record transfer to Chelsea for £ 24 million, becoming the most expensive Ivory Coast player in history. Although he was born in Africa, his football was actually more shaped by France, where he grew up from a young age and began his career with Le Mans, Guingamp and Marseille.
Currently, he is leaving his mark in English football where the press is hailing him as The Ivorian hitman while appreciating the fact that this season with 14 goals in just 16 appearances this season, he has been in the form of his life.
With the World Cup draw, the kick-off to football's biggest show has commenced. Staged in Africa, the expectation that an African country will at last triumph, or at the very least reach the final, is now more widespread than ever. For a long time we have been hearing that the future of football is Africa, but apart from individual talents of outstanding merit in the European leagues we have yet to witness the long anticipated bloom of African football.
Didier Drogba seems at present the main contender for that oft sought crown: the next Pele? At 31, the striker is probably a little old to become the 'next' anything - and yet the finals could mark the climax of a relentlessly goal-peppered career. In 2006, he dazzled on the world stage, scoring against Argentina in Ivory Coast's maiden World Cup appearance.
Argentina still beat them - they did not make it past the group stages, mitigated perhaps by the fact that they had been drawn into what was considered the group of death - and Drogba showed some of the understanding of his craft after the match. "Football's not an individual sport, you win and lose as a team... We had a lot of chances but did not take them and they did. That's the difference between big teams like Argentina and small teams like us," he said later.
At club level, Drogba is no stranger to controversy. He has been accused of diving. Earlier this year, he expressed his contempt for the referee after the Champions League semifinal against Barcelona, marching right up to the camera after the game and labelling the decisions a "f***** g disgrace" . Live football broadcasting means there's no time for TV executives to edit such outbursts, causing a brief furore over Drogba's language being broadcast to millions. This is but one of several on-pitch incidents he has been involved in, with clashes often ending in blooded injuries and heated post-match exchanges.
But his performance last weekend is the epitome of the talent he is capable of displaying. It was not just Wenger who stopped to praise Drogba; Ryan Nelsen, thought of by many as one of the most modern defenders playing today, echoed Wenger's sentiment. Nelsen's Blackburn faced Chelsea in a Carling Cup clash midweek, and the New Zealand skipper dissected Drogba's power.
"There are certain moments in games, which dictate how they are going to end up," noted Nelsen, adding, "They can pass you in a blink of an eye. Generally, it dictates the result. Drogba proved that by scoring. He can be out of the game for so long, not really be part of it but all of a sudden, he gets one touch and ... It's job done."
Didier Drogba is most definitely an African star to watch out for over the coming months. Risen like a warrior from a Wole Soyinka poem, one who 'has truly heard the lesson of the training sessions, cautioning: do not leave a dubious neutral to the rear'.
Drogba may appear to 'not do much' but as his opponents have found out over recent years, when he does it's at their peril. Africa as a whole may well be banking on his skills to finally raise the continent to the world challenge: with the World Cup in his own backyard, he is certainly likely to shine in battle. "Reiteration. Worked the worse on (the opponents') confusion, their plight. Intent upon his trade of living, to be checked in stride. No hesitation then".