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Analyst, TSN Radio 690 Montreal

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The last time we saw Didier Drogba on a football pitch, the 'Emperor of Stamford Bridge' was given a most fitting and congratulatory chair lift off the pitch from his Premier League title celebrating teammates. One of the finest and most respected footballers in the BPL era substituted off in the final game of last season and one we know well was Drogba's very last in that famous blue Chelsea shirt of his.  

So vivid the images from Stamford Bridge back on May 24th, Walt Disney himself could not have choreographed them any better.

Dream weavers aside, no one in la belle ville taking in that Stamford Bridge afternoon, where the Chelsea legend picked up a fourth BPL winners medal, could have dared imagine that just a few short months later Drogba would be swapping out of a Chelsea blue shirt for an Impact one.

That moment of course occurring just three short weeks ago at Saputo Stadium when Drogba was unveiled as an Impact player to his rather raucous new adoring public with a wide-eyed media sat alongside.

His new head coach encapsulated Drogba's airport welcome best which Frank Klopas had previously thought were the exclusive domain of only what happened in Europe.  According to UK media reports, even Drogba himself was moved by those events that late July evening. Buildings have been named for lesser people.

How wonderful it was to see so very many Ivorians bedecked in the jerseys of their native Les Éléphants and all the quite magnificent splendour and football culture they promise to bring to Saputo Stadium on matchdays over the remainder of this season and through 2016.

Saturday night and not a seat left in the building, Drogba will hit the football pitch to resume one of the more illustrious football careers across planet futbol, where only the likes of a Ronaldo or a Messi have accumulated more top notch trophies over the last decade than one of Africa's true football greats both at, and away from the place of work.   

Klopas will not throw Drogba in at the deep end and start him against Philadelphia; a very wise decision which allows for the 37-year old the valuable time to properly take in and absorb his new surroundings, allow the pre-match adrenaline rushes to die down.

Plus most vitally, allow the striker who has been putting fear in the eyes of the world's best defenders since moving to Chelsea back in the summer of 2004 to observe the opponent from the confines of his seat on the bench. One that likely will be way more scrutinised than the ball itself come a completely sold out Saputo Stadium at 8pm et Saturday evening as the crowd await at what time Drogba's number 11 will be held up by the fourth official.

What isn't an unknown is the immensity of Drogba in Montreal which one could compare on the micro scale to the feel-good factor in France after the national team won the World Cup in 1998. The French economy exploding as has sales of Drogba merchandise and as vitally for the Impact, a vapour hot acceleration in ticket sales has occurred since the signing was announced just under a month ago.

"This is an unprecedented rate for us. The effect was instantaneous and we believe it will be sustainable," Impact executive vice president Richard Legendre disclosed to TSN.ca.

"We sold about 40,000 tickets since the announcement of Didier Drogba, so five times more than usual. A good amount of these tickets were sold as a package for the rest of the season, so that's encouraging for the 2016 season ticket renewal process coming up. We believe that intentions to renew will be higher than last year."

That you can certainly take to the bank. It's no secret the Impact have struggled on the season ticket sales front these past few seasons and to the club, and Joey Saputo's credit, they made no secret of this whilst most others in this PR-driven sports world would have protected that information like Zinedane Zidane used to protect a football.  

All this new found popularity for a club would have been projected when the senior bean counters would have been analyzing their Drogba ROI's [Returns on Investments]. It is widely reported Drogba signed with Major League Soccer for far less money than the likes of Pirlo, Lampard, Gerrard and Villa did; Kaka sitting atop that particular dollar pile.

However, Drogba's well experienced management team will have secured top dollars for image rights and you can be assured as much as the Impact announced a new partnership Thursday afternoon - Brand Drogba themselves will be very busy on the wheeling and dealing front.

Drogba assured to pick up endorsements which will previously have been earmarked for other local sports stars and certainly unimaginable for an Impact player when the season kicked off back in March. It will be interesting to know which of Andrea Pirlo or Didier Drogba has sold more jerseys in the first days of joining their respective new football clubs.

After a self-imposed hibernation period, which was the hallmark of Drogba's early days in Montreal, his ground hog days are now well and truly over. Making the most of last weekend's bye week, Drogba was front and centre for the concluding stages of last week's Canadian Open, reacquainting with an old friend in world number one Novak Djokovic.

My spies tell me Drogba has been out and about of late in some of Montreal's hipper culinary establishments which litter and define one of North America's trendiest of cities. No one cooler on the scene at the moment than the Impact's latest designated player.

Take it all in his usual stride Drogba will, not much fazes the man who made his professional debut in the very humbling surroundings of Le Mans in 1998. You can just imagine the good luck texts and messages he will have received from right across world football and beyond this week in the build-up to Saturday evening for a match which will draw in Montreal A-Listers like not ever before at Stade Saputo.

The Mayor will join the 20,000 plus crowd and will get to hear the debut of a new club anthem which has recently been produced by award-winning hip hop and electro pop duet, Radio Radio. Very much in keeping within the family, Jacques Alphonse Doucet has been an Impact season ticket holder, and club member since 2013.

However all this pales into an utter football insignificance - Drogba let it be clearly known and understood at his July 30 unveiling that he has come to Montreal for one thing, and one thing only. That is to be a winner. Or quite simply he would not have bothered.

Three points are up for grabs Saturday as the Impact look to make further inroads in the Eastern Conference standings. This for a club which lost to conference-leading DC United in their last league match, and comes ahead of August 29's massive six-pointer in Toronto, a match which could well go a long way to determine which of these bitter Canadian rivals finishes highest in the conference come season's end.

All those in attendance at Saputo Stadium Saturday evening will be hoping for a similar outcome to what happened back in August 2004 when Drogba made his Chelsea debut at home - where he assisted on the lone, and winning goal of the game.

Drogba getting off the mark in his very next league match, a road game. Watch out Toronto then.

Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca
@TheSoccerNoel

Montreal Impact vs Philadelphia Union Live on TSN 690 and TSN690.ca – Kick-off 8pm et/5pm pt