How Mandela convinced me to play in 2010 World Cup despite injury-Drogba

Didier Drogba has revealed how he ended up playing in the 2010 World Cup despite having broken his arm just ten days prior to the tournament.

The Ivory Coast international was not meant to be a part of the squad that traveled to South Africa that summer due to injury – but a phone call from Nelson Mandela changed everything.

Drogba was then straight on the plane and was able to help his side to a respectable four points in their group, although they ultimately crashed out of the tournament.

‘Ten days before the World Cup I broke my arm during a friendly against Japan,’ Drogba recounted on BBC.

‘After the surgery I was at the hotel and I receive a phone call and I hear “Hey my son, how are you?” I’m like “I’m good.”‘

‘I knew it was a call from South Africa, and he said to me “a World Cup in Africa, without you, is not a World Cup”. It was Nelson Mandela.’

Just like that, the former Chelsea striker was on the plane to South Africa for the continent’s first World Cup.

‘Yeah, I couldn’t feel my arm, I was already there!’ Drogba jokingly continued.

During the tournament Drogba wore a light cast protecting the arm, coming off the bench in their opening match against Portugal.

‘Ten days before the World Cup I broke my arm during a friendly against Japan,’ Drogba recounted on BBC.

‘After the surgery I was at the hotel and I receive a phone call and I hear “Hey my son, how are you?” I’m like “I’m good”.

Unfortunately for the then 32-year-old, his side crashed out of his final World Cup in the first round, after finishing third in their group, despite beating North Korea 3-0 in their final group game.

A draw between Portugal and Brazil in their final match of the group meant Ivory Coast’s four points were not enough to progress.

But it remained a significant moment for African football and Drogba maintained a close relationship with Mandela up until the former South African president’s death in 2013.

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