Chelsea: Romelu Lukaku is impressive, but Didier Drogba is the only King

Romelu Lukaku surpassed Didier Drogba’s Premier League goal tally this month. That’s about all the Belgian has over Chelsea’s King of Stamford Bridge.

Romelu Lukaku recently scored his 105th Premier League goal, overtaking Didier Drogba’s tally of 104. This new achievement by the Belgium international sparked a debate over whether he deserves the title of “The King,” along with numerous other comparisons to Chelsea’s Ivorian legend. Although it is an impressive achievement by the Manchester United striker, Didier Drogba remains the rightful and undisputable owner of the crown.

First, Didier Drogba did not have a team built around him. He was part of a complete squad that was capable of scoring without him. The likes of Frank Lampard, Nicholas Anelka, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien and many other great players carried the team on their backs whether Drogba was having a good game or not. This made the achievement of 104 Premier League goals far more impressive. The entire team was capable of scoring those goals.

Second, Drogba was not just a deadly goal scorer. He was a target man who focused on more than just scoring. He was a player who would set up his teammates to do the job. Evidence of this are the 391 crosses he delivered into the box for his teammates during his time in the Premier League.

Furthermore, Didier Drogba was not a brute force who only waited for balls to come to him inside the box. Despite his strength and considerable size, Drogba was very tactical in his style of play. If he knew that defenders were really concerned about marking him, he would drag two defenders out and isolate them. This would leave the opposition’s defense wide open, creating an opportunity for his teammates without having to touch the ball.

And it goes without saying: Didier Drogba has achieved far more than Romelu Lukaku. The Manchester United man has eight seasons already in the Premier League. Yes, he did start very young, with not a lot of playing time. However, he has yet to win a single title or cup*. That cannot be laid entirely or solely on him. But surely with a team built to play for him and Paul Pogba he should have had his moments by now.

When it comes to Didier Drogba, he won his first of four Premier League titles in his very first season with Chelsea. Since that first year, the Chelsea legend became a deadly striker and left his mark every season.

Moreover, Drogba joined Chelsea at the age of 24 and stayed in the Premier League for eight years, winning absolutely everything in English football and a certain something in Europe. One can only wonder how many more goals he could have scored and how many more trophies he would have won should he have joined earlier.

If all four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, four Community Shields, two-time top scorer in the Premier League and Champions League winner are not convincing enough then this might. Drogba was not only a striker, but a leader on the field. He would dictate the attack and make the selfless decision for the team. He was the absolute big man for the big occasion. The man who lives for finals, scoring in 10 finals and securing the same number of trophies for the Blues.

Lukaku surely has a bright future ahead of him, and if he would have signed for Chelsea, maybe even brighter. But there is, and will only be, one king. The one who scored in Wembley Stadium as if it was his own back yard. The one who created an immense part of Chelsea’s history.

Until Romelu Lukaku achieves the same or more, his goals will count for nothing in comparison to the legacy Drogba left.

*Romelu Lukaku played two minutes in Chelsea’s first game in the 2011/12 FA Cup. The Blues went on to win the tournament without another Lukaku appearance. Two minutes. Two.