I learned a lot from Shevchenko: Drogba

(GSM) – Chelsea’s Didier Drogba says Chelsea flop Andriy Shevchenko helped shape his rise as one of the best forwards in the world.

Drogba claims that Shevchenko, who endured a horrible time at Stamford Bridge scoring just 22 goals in three years after his £30.9m move from Milan, helped him become calmer on the pitch.

Drogba, who was signed from Olympique Marseille in 2004, has went on to score 138 goals since his £24million move, and has surprisingly named Shevchenko as a major positive influence on his game.

According to the Daily Mirror, Drogba said: “I learned a lot from Shevchenko. He was and is still a great player. He is one of the best scorers in the Champions League. Playing with him, he was very calm.

“I learned to be calmer and quieter on the pitch, and wait for the ideal moment to score.

“It’s an honour to be seen as the modern centre-forward. Football has changed; you need to be quick, to repeat runs, play many games.

“I think fitness is the key. I’ve seen games in different leagues and you can see there have been changes.

“Strikers have to defend, not only be scoring goals, and create goals. Now most teams play 4-3-3, the objectives of the striker have changed.”

After his unsuccessful spell at Stamford Bridge, Sheva’s misery continued as another negative season followed in his return to Milan.

Shevchenko has been back at Dynamo Kyiv since 2009 and has scored six goals in 11 appearances for the Ukrainian Premier League runners-up this season.