Didier Drogba Bags the Golden Boot with Last Day Hat-Trick

Didier Drogba sensationally grabbed the Barclays Golden Boot after netting a second-half treble against Wigan Athletic on the final day of the Premier League season.

The Ivorian’s goals helped Chelsea cruise over the finishing line on the final day as they finished one point ahead of previous champions Manchester United to wrap up a first league title in four years.

Drogba went into yesterday’s game tied on 26 Premier League goals with Wayne Rooney but the players suffered contrasting fortunes on the final Sunday.

The England man failed to find the net at home to Stoke and eventually limped off with a recurrence of his groin injury whereas Drogba fired a hat-trick to add a personal award as the icing on the cake of the Premier League crown.

It was the Chelsea forward’s first hat-trick of the league season, eventually coming at the last possible opportunity after he had hit two goals in seven previous games during the season to end with an impressive total of 29 goals.

The result means that the award stays at Stamford Bridge for a second consecutive season after Nicolas Anelka won last year’s gong.

Drogba also won the Golden Boot in 2007 and becomes the fifth player to win the award twice in the Premier League era.

Wayne Rooney finished runner-up to Drogba with a personal best tally of 26 goals, with Darren Bent in third with an impressive 24 goal haul in his first season for Sunderland. 

Bent also finished third in the goalscoring charts just prior to the 2006 World Cup and will be keeping his fingers crossed for better luck this year as Fabio Capello prepares to name his provisional squad for South Africa tomorrow.

Carlos Tevez came in fourth after a prolific first season for Manchester City, just ahead of Frank Lampard who finished with an extraordinary 22 goals from midfield for the newly-crowned champions.

It represents the first time for 10 years that at least three Englishmen have finished amongst the Premier League’s top five goalscorers.

The last time is occurred was in the 1999/2000 season when Kevin Phillips topped the charts from Alan Shearer, with Michael Bridges, and Andrew Cole also in the leading five.

Barclays Golden Boot 2009/2010  

1. Didier Drogba 29 goals (32 games)
2. Wayne Rooney 26 goals (32 games)
3. Darren Bent 24 goals (38 games)
4. Carlos Tevez 23 goals (35 games)
5. Frank Lampard 22 goals (36 games)

Previous Golden Boot Winners (last five seasons)

2008/2009 Nicolas Anelka 19 goals
2007/2008 Cristiano Ronaldo 31 goals
2006/2007 Didier Drogba 20 goals
2005/2006 Thierry Henry 27 goals
2004/2005 Thierry Henry 25 goals