Didier Drogba spent big on rings for every Chelsea teammate after winning 2012 CL | OneFootball

On May 19, 2012, Didier Drogba played a pivotal role as Chelsea were crowned Champions of Europe for the first time.

Chelsea looked as if they would come up short as Thomas Muller gave Bayern Munich an 83rd minute in the Champions League final.

But Drogba, who was sent off as Chelsea lost the 2008 edition to Manchester United, was not going to be denied.

The Ivorian powered home a header in the 88th minute to send the game to extra-time.

The match went all the way to penalties and the legendary forward had the chance to win it for his side.

And he made no mistake as he dispatched his penalty past Manuel Neuer to win the match for the Blues.

Drogba left the club that summer as he joined Shanghai Shenhua.

Just over six months after that famous day in Munich, Drogba invited all of his former teammates out to dinner at the Wyndham Hotel in Chelsea Harbour.

This wasn’t any dinner, though.

Drogba gave each of his former teammates a personalised ring to commemorate their Champions League triumph. He also gave each member of the backroom staff a watch.

Drogba paid around £800,000 for the gifts.

View some other images of players with their rings below…

Speaking in his autobiography, titled ‘Commitment’, Drogba said: “I am a big fan of basketball and in the USA when the team wins a Championship they all receive a ring to celebrate. So I came up with the idea of doing the same for my teammates.

“I organised a small dinner for all my Chelsea teammates with whom I had won the Champions League the previous May.

“It was at a hotel near the ground and it was very low key.

“They thought it was just for a catch up and I surprised them by giving them each a ring that I’d had specially made by a jewellery designer – each with the date of the Champions League final and all separately engraved with each player’s name.

“I got watches for the backroom staff, again engraved with the date of the Champions League final. I had wanted to host this dinner to show how important the team was to me and for us to have something really special to remember what we had achieved.”