Premier Moments #1: Didier Drogba's first Premier League goal for Chelsea

In celebration of launching our From The Streets campaign earlier this month, Premier Bet are taking you on a journey to celebrate Didier Drogba – who represents us as a Brand Ambassador – and his legendary footballing career. ⚽

In a series named ‘Premier Moments’, we will be sharing exclusive footage that we have filmed with the former Ivory Coast and Chelsea striker, documenting the most special moments of his career.

Episode 1 looks back at Didier’s first Premier League goal for Chelsea, which came in a 2-0 victory against Crystal Palace on 24th August 2004. It was the first of 164 goals he went on to score for the Blues, helping them win four league titles, three FA Cups, three League Cups and their maiden Champions League along the way! 🏆

Despite coming across as a supremely confident individual, especially when he was bullying defenders with his immense combination of skill and physicality on the pitch, it was interesting to hear Didier admit that he was feeling doubtful about himself when arriving in West London.

“[The goal against Palace] was an amazing moment for me because all the players would tell you that, yeah, I was sure when I moved there that I knew everything would be perfect. No, three years before [joining Chelsea] I was a substitute in the [French] second division,” he revealed.

“I was thinking maybe it was kind of a bit too fast for me, and will I succeed? It’s a new culture, a new country. I always played in France and then all of a sudden I’m moving to England.

“I was lucky enough to have an amazing manager, and then my team-mates really helped me. They did everything for me to score that first goal that really changed the way I saw the future with the club.”

It comes as no surprise that Didier’s first goal for Chelsea was a trademark towering header, with former Nigeria full-back Celestine Babayaro laying on the assist with a chipped cross from the left flank.

While we are sure that Didier would have gone on to have a brilliant career with Chelsea regardless, it shows the importance of hitting the ground running for a striker at a new club, especially when arriving in a different country. It may also help young people in any walk of life realise that self-doubts are completely normal emotions to feel.

Thanks to From The Streets, which involved Didier teaming up with a local community, New Customers can take advantage of our Sports Welcome Bonus, which will at least match your first deposit. We also have a host of promotions and offers running for new and existing customers alike, including our new Bet Builder function on football matches.

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