Bakayoko reveals why Chelsea were his favorite English team growing up

Romelu Lukaku and André Schürrle were two of the first major signings that proved just how far Chelsea and the Premier League had come since the mid-90s when all this new money started pouring into the league. They were two of a new generation of players who had grown up in a time when Chelsea were an established European footballing power, and thus a potential club that youngsters around the world can dream of joining. Of course, being a fan of a certain team doesn’t necessarily mean anything when it comes to a professional career (one-time Manchester United fan John Terry and Chelsea-fan Luke Shaw come to mind), but it’s still one of those feel-good factors that can endear a player to the fans from the get-go.

Enter Tiemoué Bakayoko, self-confessed fan of PSG. But in his first interviews after signing for Chelsea, he also talked about the “dream” of joining the club he “loved very much” and “grew up watching”. How did that happen? Or is that just lip service?

Bakayoko was born in 1994, so by the time he got to an impressionable stage, Chelsea were just beginning to embark on this wonderful Abramovich adventure. That adventure included a certain Didier Drogba, still at the start of his illustrious career that would make him a club and world football legend.

Bakayoko’s been teasing this “TB14 Story” video for some time and in the latest short clip he shared on Twitter, he reveals that Drogba, with whom he shares his heritage, was his role model. Bakayoko, born in Paris, has represented France his entire career, but his parents are from Cote d’Ivoire.

“My English club which I liked very much was Chelsea. Didier Drogba is from Ivory Coast, like me. He’s an icon, a role model.”

-Tiemoué Bakayoko; source: Twitter

Didier Drogba, the gift who keeps on giving. Chelsea owe a tremendous amount to the legend already, and now we can chalk up another one.

Welcome, Timoe; may your time in SW6 be just as legendary as Didier’s!