Comparing Ruud van Nistelrooy and Didier Drogba: Who Comes Out on Top?

Every defender who came head to head with Ruud van Nistelrooy and Didier Drogba in the mid-2000s probably hasn't forgotten the nightmares they caused. Both frontmen, wearing number nine, demonstrated their prowess with poacher's instincts, skillful touches, and imposing strength that terrorized Premier League defenses.

However, the question remains - who was the more formidable player?

In our continuing series on the 50 greatest Premier League players of all time, we are here to undertake this comparison...

Didier Drogba, during his Premier League career, scored nine more goals (104) than Ruud van Nistelrooy (95). But stating that netting five additional goals over 76 extra games necessarily indicates Drogba as a superior goal scorer would be an oversimplification.

Van Nistelrooy’s 128-minutes-per-goal ratio is only outperformed by four players in Premier League history (namely, Harry Kane, Thierry Henry, Sergio Aguero, and Erling Haaland). Moreover, he also managed to score 20+ goals double the times Drogba did, in spite of competing in four fewer English competitions.

Therefore, Van Nistelrooy unquestionably takes this round.

Didier Drogba was the epitome of Super Sunday football. If Chelsea had a match slated for 4.30 pm on a Sunday, you could count on Drogba not only scoring but also being named player of the match - a routine characteristic of 2000s football.

Empirical data supports this observation as well - with Drogba scoring an astounding 39 goals against fellow ‘big six’ clubs while in England - including an extraordinary 13 against Arsenal alone. In contrast, Van Nistelrooy managed to bag only 21, with a mere five notched against Chelsea and Arsenal, the primary title competitors of Man Utd during that period.

Consequently, Drogba is the undeniable victor of this round.

Alongside scoring, strikers are also expected to contribute to the game by facilitating their teammates - a fact we assume you are aware of.

Although Ruud was capable of that, he was more inclined towards being in the box ready to deliver the final blow to the ball in play, rather than initiating the game maneuver. On the other hand, Drogba excelled at this aspect of the game as is evident from him providing an impressive 45 assists during his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

Seizing wins in two categories, Drogba surpasses Van Nistelrooy in this comparison. This cements the Chelsea stalwart’s reputation as one of the topmost strikers to have graced the Premier League.