The Libero - Devastating Drogba can emulate Messi

Published: 02 Dec 2009 - 08:11:16

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Lionel Messi has cruised to the Ballon d'Or title for his performances over the past 12 months and rightly so.

The Barcelona and Argentina wizard is a worthy successor to Cristiano Ronaldo as European Footballer of the Year. But if those journalists polled for the prestigious award were asked to give their opinion on who is the continent's finest right now, to give a snapshot of the moment based on current form, the results would likely be different.

It's not so much that Messi has gone off the boil - he's still pretty good - rather that one player has raised his game so much lately that it is difficult to look beyond him when thinking of the 'best' player in Europe, if not on the planet. Didier Drogba is that man.

The Chelsea striker is scarily good at the moment, full of pace and power and with a deadly eye for goal. It is nigh on impossible for opposition defences to deal with him in his current mood. 

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That was certainly the case during Chelsea's win over Arsenal, when he was at his bullying best, giving William Gallas and Thomas Vermaelen a torrid time and scoring two goals of the highest quality.

His first was simply sublime, a deft, precision volley into the top corner, while his second was the kind of free-kick that propelled Ronaldo to the continent's greatest individual honour a year ago.

They were Drogba's 13th and 14th goals of an outstanding season that still promises much more, both on an individual level and for his team. It is no coincidence that the last three winners of the Ballon d'Or - Messi, Ronaldo and Kaka - have won the Champions League the same year.

Nor that six out of the eight players voted ahead of him this year - Drogba charted at ninth this year - featured in May's final in Rome.

Clearly success in Europe's premier club competition has a bearing on where the votes go.

And this season, led by Drogba, Chelsea undoubtedly have a team this year that is capable of emulating Barcelona and going all the way in Europe, as well as in their domestic league.

Carlo Ancelotti can take a great deal of credit for that and the Italian's decision to play Drogba alongside Nicolas Anelka has been fully vindicated. Both players have benefited, yet it is Drogba who really blossoming in the freedom afforded by his new role.

And if he can sustain his electric form for the rest of the season and propel Chelsea to another Champions League final in May, there is no reason at all why this time next year he should not be following the pantheon of greats to be crowned Ballon d'Or winner.

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