"I don't say Didier was the greatest player I have worked with because I have had so many great players," Jose Mourinho said back in 2013 when he was managing Real Madrid.
"But he was a great player, a great friend, and somebody who will be part of my life forever. He would say the exact same about me. We created the kind of emotional links that are more than football."
Mourinho also spoke about Wesley Sneijder, as he and Drogba were getting ready to play Real Madrid for Galatasaray in the Champions League quarter-finals, "They were my players, we love each other and we respect each other. But we have completely conflicting objectives. They want to win and I want to win.
"They are two great players in my career, two important players. But now they are not my players – they are my friends."
Drogba played 186 matches under Jose Mourinho, scoring 73 and assisting 39 goals in that time.
