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Chelsea - first season
Chelsea was a club on the up and had been for several years before Roman Abramovich bought it in 2003. It had been revamped and infused with a new vision and purpose in the mid-1990s, with aid from former owner Ken Bates, the late Matthew Harding, and the acquisition of top talent such as Zola, Vialli, Hughes, Gullit, LeBoeuf, di Matteo, and manager Glenn Hoddle. With this new drive, the club won the 1997 FA Cup, 1998 League Cup and UEFA Cup-Winners Cup, and the 2000 FA Cup.
After Abramovich bought the club, the impetus was now there to push Arsenal and Manchester United at the top of the table, and compete for the title. After a season with Claudio Ranieri, up and coming manager Jose Mourinho - fresh from a Champions League win with Porto - relished the new challenge and sought to lead Chelsea to the title as the "special one".
Part of this was to sign Drogba amongst others, but Drogba's scoring talents ensured a very strong and notable season for both Chelsea and the Premier League generally.
He scored 16 goals in the Premier League title-winning campaign, and a goal in the League Cup final victory over Liverpool.
It was an immediately successful season for Drogba, and one which highlighted his abilities to succeed at the highest level.
