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Former manager once boldly told ex-club owner to simply "pay and don't speak" for Blues legend . signed the Ivorian from Marseille for £24million in July 2004, and ended up with a Stamford Bridge hero.

With Abramovich's at Chelsea gathering pace at the time, Mourinho instructed that he must have the in his ranks. And he did not have time for questions, risking his standing with the billionaire.

"[Roman] Abramovich was asking me, 'Who do you want for the striker?' All the big names in Europe at that time, I told 'Drogba,'" Mourinho relayed. "(Abramovich asked) 'Who is he? Where does he play? Where is he playing?' (I replied) 'Mr Abramovich, pay. Pay and don't speak'. And Didier was an iconic player for Chelsea, for the ."

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True to Mourinho's insistence, Drogba illustrated his extraordinary talent right off the bat by netting 16 goals despite battling injuries in his inaugural season. He went on to win the Premier League on three occasions, four FA Cups and the in his first stint at the club.

The Ivorian icon eventually moved to Shanghai Shenhua after eight seasons, but he didn't last long in the Chinese Super League. He quickly made his way to European football with Galatasaray, reports .

"I played [against] him [Drogba] when I was in Madrid and he was with [Wesley] Sneijder in Galatasaray - they almost killed me, but they didn't and he was fantastic also for Galatasaray," Mourinho added.

"Then he came back to Chelsea and I told him, 'You are not number one anymore, but I need you here to help me with the team, with the more experienced players, with the [Eden] Hazards, with the Willians, with the young guys'. He was phenomenal again. There are players with their character and personality, and they are important from day one in their career."

In an interview with in 2018, Drogba revealed that Mourinho's admiration was reciprocated. "He changed my life, he changed the story of my family," said Drogba.

"He told me if you want to be the best, you have to come and play with one of the best teams in the and one of the best managers in the world… no, the best manager in the world. Everyone was saying £24m was a lot of money. People doubted. When I left, I think the way everyone reacted, I think I covered the investment."

In two spells with Chelsea, Drogba, now 47, scored an incredible 164 goals in 381 games. His legend is cemented with the Ivory Coast star also winning the Premier League Golden Boot in 2006/07 and 2009/10.

After his second spell in West London, he wrapped up his career with MLS sides Montreal Impact and then with Phoenix Rising in 2018.

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