First, it was German captain Michael Ballack dropping out of the world cup with an ankle injury. Then, it was Ghana's superstar Michael Essien, unable to return from a knee injury in time for the games in South Africa.
Ivory Coast Superstar Didier Drogba Will Reportedly Miss The 2010 World With Elbow Fracture
Now? With Didier Drogba suffering an elbow fracture, it looks like the 2010 World Cup is going to be missing one of the biggest stars of all. It happened early this morning during the Ivory Coast's friendly against Japan. Later, Oliver Kay of the London Times relayed the news:
Confirmed: Didier Drogba misses the #WorldCup after suffering fractured elbow. Bad news for him, Ivory Coast and #WC2010
As SB Nation’s soccer editor Richard Farley noted recently, “this season, he has 25 goals in 29 league starts wile adding seven more through FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League. As was the case this weekend when Chelsea beat Stoke 7-0, Drogba can decide a match when not scoring, with his hold-up play and resulting distribution influencing most of the Blues’ goals. The three assists he accumulated on Sunday took him to 10 on the year, a total bested by only three other Premier Leaguers.”
“The world’s scariest combination of size, speed, and technical proficiency, Drogba may be the best pure athlete in all of team sports. Part of that distinction is the discipline of soccer - with its relative lack of specialization and its unrelenting demands of speed, endurance, and for players like Drogba, strength. Part of that is Drogba’s stature in the game. You would be hard-pressed to honestly name ten players more likely to lead your squad to victory.”
Indeed, as Kay mentioned, this is one of those stories where everyone loses. The Ivory Coast, Didier Drogba, and most of all, soccer fans across the world.
See More:
