Some Chelsea fans thought manager Jose Mourinho had taken leave of his senses when he decided to bring the ageing Didier Drogba back to the club in the close season.
There was a feeling that the 36-year-old Ivorian was well past his best and that returning to Stamford Bridge might tarnish the legacy he left after a dazzling first spell with the Londoners.
Drogba has, however, well and truly silenced the doubters in the last week, scoring three goals in three games and proving a more than capable understudy for the injured Diego Costa and Loic Remy.
“His character is bigger than his body,” Mourinho told reporters after the centre forward grabbed the opening goal in Tuesday’s 2-1 League Cup fourth-round victory at Shrewsbury Town.
“What he did maybe was because of his character and not because of his body. Let’s see the reaction after this but this is what makes players special.
“If I was a kid player and I played with this guy on my side, what more could I wish for? For the kids it must be a privilege and they have to learn by example – the example the older guys gave against Shrewsbury.”
Drogba left Chelsea two-and-a --half years ago after helping them win the UEFA Champions League for the first time.
He joined the Blues from Marseille in 2004 and scored 157 goals in 342 appearances in his first spell, hoovering up three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups.
Drogba was on target from the penalty spot in the 6-0 romp against Slovenians Maribor in the Champions League last week and also struck with a trademark header in the 1-1 draw at Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.
Premier League leaders Chelsea rested several first-choice players at fourth tier Shrewsbury and Mourinho said it was the senior professionals who carried his team through to the quarter-finals.
“The message I want is the message Didier, Filipe Luis, Oscar and Gary Cahill gave – doing something they shouldn’t be allowed to do but they did, which is play two football matches in 48 hours,” said the manager.
“They were fantastic. I had people like Petr Cech and John Obi Mikel, people with lots of years at the club, who would prefer to start the game at Old Trafford. They didn’t and they came here and gave a fantastic example.”
Next up for Chelsea, who have a four-point lead at the top of the English Premier League, is a home derby against second from bottom Queens Park Rangers at the weekend.