Drogba’s advice to Anísio Cabral on settling in at Benfica | OneFootball

Anísio Cabral’s most recent performance once again deserved special mention from José Mourinho, who did not hesitate to look to the past to explain what he sees in the young forward developed at Seixal. After the victory against Alverca, the coach of Benfica drew parallels between the Eagles’ striker and Didier Drogba, a player he managed at Chelsea and who marked an era in English football.

The comparison arises mainly from the way both players work with their back to goal. Mourinho highlighted Anísio’s physicality, his ability to hold up play, and his runs in behind, emphasizing clear similarities with the Drogba he encountered in London in 2004. The difference, as the coach himself pointed out, was in the Ivorian’s aerial effectiveness, who regularly turned crosses into goals.

Drogba’s adaptation to English football was, at the time, a demanding process. In 2020, the former striker recalled that phase, explaining how he had to adjust his game to a more physical league that allowed more contact. In an interview with The Athletic, he described the cultural shock he experienced in the Premier League, where falling after a foul did not always guarantee the referee’s intervention.

Drogba himself also revealed the importance of his first contact with Mourinho at Chelsea. The coach approached him in French and made it clear that he believed in his potential, but that the demands would be at the highest level. The message was direct: to become a great player, he would have to grow within a great club and under Mourinho’s guidance.

It is in this context that Anísio Cabral emerges, still at an early stage of his senior career, but already with characteristics that have caught the Special One’s attention. The reference to Drogba does not arise as a direct comparison of status, but as an example of the possible path for a forward who is beginning to make his mark and learning to play for the team.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.