The veteran attacker has been in excellent form since returning to England, with three goals in three straight games.

Didier Drogba has been showing Chelsea fans that "age ain't nothing but a number".

Now in his second spell at Stamford Bridge, the veteran attacker has been on a roll lately. First he opened his Champions League account for this season by calmly converting a penalty against Slovenian outfit Maribor. Blues supporters will remember last weekend's goal against Manchester United as quite reminiscent of the Drogba they grew to love during his first tenure in England.

And yesterday, the 36-year-old made it three goals in three consecutive outings by netting his team's first in the Capital One Cup against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday.

Man on fire: Drogba has scored three goals in his last three games in all competitions

And his teammates are also quite appreciative of his important contributions thus far.

"[Didier] is fully fit now, he's looking sharp and dangerous. He was massive for us [against Shrewsbury Town]  and he got a vital goal," defender Gary Cahill stated to PA Sport following the game.

Moreover, he went on to praise the immediate impact Drogba has had since Diego Costa's injury, while acknowledging that the veteran does have his limits:

"Who knows how long he can go on for? That's for the club and Didier to decide but, at this moment, we've started the season well and he's been a big part of that."

Indeed, despite Costa set to return, Cahill believed that it would not be easy for the Brazilian-born Spanish international just to waltz in and re-claim his starting berth:

"There are options, not just up front but all over the pitch."

As Blues fans are well aware, in addition to winning three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and two Community Shields, he was also decisive in Chelsea beating Bayern Munich in that famous 2012 Champions League final for their first ever European trophy.

On a personal level, his achievements include, among others:

  • The highest number of goals scored by an African in the UEFA Champions League: 43
  • Fourth-all time goal scorer with 160 goals and is the most prolific non-English player
  • Most goals scored in the Champions League (for Chelsea): 35
  • And of course, Ivory Coast's all-time top scorer with 65 goals