LONDON
Didier Drogba, the former Galatasaray striker and current Chelsea player, said Sunday that he misses Istanbul and Turkish cuisine.
Talking to an Anadolu Agency correspondent during the award ceremony held by the Football Writers' Association in London on Sunday, the 36-year-old Chelsea veteran said, "I miss you Turkish people and I love you."
The Ivorian star, who played for Galatasaray during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, said that he has many friends in Istanbul as well as great memories.
"There are lots of things I miss, but I especially miss Turkish food. Turkish food was always very delicious. I miss my friends because they made me feel good in Istanbul," he said, adding that he still follows the matches of his former Turkish team even after his return to Chelsea. He predicted Galatasaray will win the league title this season.
Drogba also commented on the changes to the foreign player restriction rules in the Turkish Super League. "It is important not to have it anymore. It should be the same everywhere in the world. Because of course for the level of the league, you need people from abroad to come to share their knowledge, their experience also, so it is important to have a good combination and good mix of both," the Chelsea striker said.
"We (Chelsea) are having a fantastic season so far. And I hope that we will complete the season with a lot of awards. I am very happy at Chelsea," Drogba sad.
Commenting on their opponents for the title, he said, "Manchester City is going to be the tough one until the end of the season."
He also commented on Manchester United's title campaign, saying, "Manchester United is still there. Big teams never die."
Drogba also talked about Chelsea's recent loss against lower division team Bradford 4-2 in the fourth round of the English FA Cup.
"We lost the game because it is a cup game and in cup games you can win or lose. Yesterday was a bad day for us, but I hope better days for the club," he said.
Chelsea's 36-year-old Ivorian veteran has scored six goals in 23 matches for the London side this season.
