Divine intervention helped Drogba gain form

London, Apr 26 (ANI): Didier Drogba's family is thanking divine intervention for helping restore him as the leading scorer of Chelsea.

Drogba is heading for a Champions League semi-final first leg in Barcelona on Tuesday with fans amazed by his comeback after being dumped by previous Blues boss Big Phil Scolari.

And uncle Michel Goba, the ex-pro who brought him up as a kid, believes the power of prayer has been at work.

"Only those close to him know how Didier had suffered this season. He had hit rock bottom. I remember watching him in a Premier League match at Liverpool on TV and he hardly touched a ball. Even when he did, he could not control it," Goba said.

"His father Albert and I are very religious men. It was God who gave me the idea of bringing Didier from his Ivory Coast home as a child when I went to play football in France.

"Didier proved his resilience then and has done so many times over since, but we thought he needed a little help from above, too. So Albert and I both prayed in Paris for force and energy to be transmitted to Didier because he had a massive job in front of him,' News of the World quoted Goba, as saying.

"I believe our prayers were answered - especially when you consider how far he had to come back.

"He would have left if Phil Scolari had stayed as boss. Now his future is for him to decide. All I know is that he is a man with a mission and that is to win the Champions League," he added.

Goba, who coaches the town team of Athis- Mons in Paris, wants to work in England with a lower division club. (ANI)