Peerless Drogba has the first and final say

Didier Drogba had the last word, 116 minutes into the FA Cup final, and he had also had the first. "Didier called everyone together before the game into a huddle for a speech," revealed the Chelsea captain John Terry. "He said: 'I'm nervous, everybody's nervous, we're all feeling the same, but one thing's for sure, we're gonna fight and give everything for every player.' And as he did that he looked everyone in the eye. It was a great speech. He touched quite a lot of people and did us a lot of good."

"We know it is not easy to be a Chelsea player," explained Drogba. "We know that, so we are always together. I had to find the good words to explain."

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The first Ivorian to score at Wembley (old or new), Drogba maintained on Saturday a season-long ability to deliver when it mattered. With Terry hampered by injury, and Frank Lampard by a World Cup hangover, Drogba has been the soul of Chelsea's season. From late winners at Everton and Newcastle, to defiant defending at Reading and Tottenham, he has been their driving force.

"He kept Chelsea's season alive," said an admiring Sir Alex Ferguson. The Manchester United manager, who last week wondered if the only way to stop Drogba would be "to shoot him", added: "He kept producing goals at important moments in games, some fantastic goals, and he took this goal very well."

The calibre of a striker can sometimes be measured in the quality of opponent they have scored against. Mateja Kezman came to Chelsea with a prolific record but had rarely scored against major clubs. He failed. Anthony Stokes, the boy wonder for whom Sunderland paid Arsenal £2m in January, scored 16 goals in 18 games on loan to Falkirk. It is why Sunderland bought him. But he had failed to score in six SPL games against Celtic, Rangers, Hearts and Aberdeen, the top four. For Sunderland he has struck twice in 14 appearances.

Drogba this season has scored the winner in both domestic cup finals. His 33 goals include strikes against Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Barcelona and Valencia. And this bald statistic gives no indication of the defenders he has terrorised, and the goals he has created for others. This despite appearing to carry Chelsea's attack on his own while Andrei Shevchenko laboured alongside.

In some ways, Shevchenko's arrival initially helped Drogba, dividing defenders' attention, but the Ukrainian proved an erratic foil and has often been used as an ersatz winger rather than the strike partner Drogba wanted when he had a heart-to-heart chat with Mourinho last summer.

"I sat down with Mourinho and told him I didn't enjoy the way we played the game," Drogba recalled. "I told him that I had given my all for the good of the team playing alone up front, but it was probably time for me to move on."

During the World Cup, Drogba pondered on that conversation, then decided that "some of the criticism was perhaps justified, and I needed to work harder and improve."

He has done that to the extent that, according to former player Gavin Peacock, Chelsea without Drogba "are half a team, which is something they will have to look at next season. They are relying on one man a lot".

In the middle of next season, Drogba will be absent from Stamford Bridge for about six weeks because of the African Nations Cup. Not even Mourinho could persuade Drogba not to go. The 29-year-old, who wore an Ivorian flag after Chelsea's victory, has added his voice to the peace process in the country, being given a hero's welcome when he took his African Footballer of the Year trophy to the formerly rebel-held north in March. In that context, Ferguson's "shoot him" comment appears even more tasteless.

Milan are the latest suitor, reportedly offering £28m, but there is no prospect of Drogba - who signed a contract extension to 2010 in November - moving while Jose Mourinho remains.

It was Drogba who raced after Mourinho after the manager fled down the tunnel upon the final whistle to phone his wife in Portugal. Drogba said: "He means a lot to me, I am here because of him and Roman [Abramovich]. They gave me the chance so I have to say thanks to them."

And should Mourinho depart? "It will be very difficult. It would hurt me a lot," said Drogba, "but I'm a professional. I will honour my contract and maintain the same performance."

Maybe, maybe not. Wherever he plays he will bring perspective as well as ability. As the smell of champagne wafted from Chelsea's dressing room he said: "For me football is about fun. It can be very important but there are so many things more important than football."