New Chelsea man Hakim Ziyech has named Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry as three of the players who he looked up to when first making his way into the game.
The summer signing is now at Chelsea and was in the stands to watch his new teammates record a vital 1-0 win over Norwich as they aim to secure Champions League football next season.
Ziyech completed a move from Ajax earlier this year, but will not be eligible to play for Chelsea until the 2020/21 season.
The Blues fought off competition for the signature of the Moroccan, and he has now explained why he decided to make the switch to Stamford Bridge.
“When you are a young guy, you always want to play for a big club, in the Premier League of course,” he told ChelseaTV .
“And when I was young the players that played here. It was always a big club so I’m very happy and it means a lot.”
The new arrival then went onto name the players who he looked up to as a young player.
“I can remember I was playing in the youths in Heerenveen and we have some teammates, and he was playing [with] Drogba, Lampard, just all those big names, Terry,” he added.
“We were always for Chelsea and look now, if you can play here, it means a lot for me.”
Ziyech scored eight times and provided 21 assists in 35 appearances for Ajax during the 2019/20 campaign, including two goals and five assists in the Champions League.
The Blues will be hoping that he can replicate that form in the same competition next season should they make it.
