Didier Drogba's momentous final kick in Chelsea's 2012 Champions League run demands a deep rewind

The sheer finality of Didier Drogba's penalty kick after extra time of the 2012 Champions League Final is ... a lot. Everyone knew it would end his stint at Chelsea. Everyone knew it was the closing act of a great Chelsea era that had already been crumbling.

To really appreciate that final, climactic moment ... yeah, you guessed it, we've gotta rewind. You need to know how much Bayern Munich and their goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, went through to reach that Champions League Final. You need to understand how last season and this season went for each of these teams. And above all else, you need to measure the multiple overlapping histories building toward this moment for the protagonist, Drogba: His history with Chelsea, his history in the Champions League Final, and his history with penalty kicks. All those threads form one big, taut rope of history, and the moment you're about to see had the potential to tie that rope in a perfect, conclusive knot.

This is such a Rewinder-y moment, so let's go!

Directed and edited by Ryan Simmons
Written and produced by Seth Rosenthal

[xavvy]

“welcome to a moment in history” gets me EVERY TIME

[Chigz]

Nothing better than Secret Base covering football

[WuRuYi]

The pen was crazy but for me the iconic moment of this game will always be Drogba's equaliser. It epitomised him as a player - aggressive, precise, and dominant.

[arushh]

"HE'S DONE IT! THE GREATEST NIGHT IN THE HISTORY OF CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB!"

Those words will forever be etched in footballing folklore.

Edit: CHELSEA ARE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS (AGAIN)! 🏆🏆

[thie]

There it is, a SecretBase Video, I'll never watch

- sincerely, a Bayern Fan

[CrimsonKobaNakirigumi]

That Chelsea v Barcelona semifinal also deserves a rewind

[ouonouanwilfried-desire]

As an ivorian, i won't lie. I cried watchung it live. And i had some silent tears once again watching that video.

Drogba is a total hero here. And thzt kick meant soo much for us that have supported him all these years withour ever winning an international club or national team competition.

It meant soo much. It was indeed a moment of history. Thank you for bringing it back.

[DK-djjt]

This just reminds us that had we lost, praise for Drogba's incredible equaliser would have died down between the memories of game changing errors he has made in finals, both 2008 and 2012. Cech did damage control and ensured we won the final and put us in a position where we could appreciate the Chelsea legend, Drogba. Drogba being associated with the UCL 2012 final as the hero of the match is owing to Cech's consistent efforts.

[TMtherd]

Even after 9 years and 2 treble seasons, this moment still hurts me as a Bayern fans

[InteristaS]

This game was one of the most memorable champions league finals considering Chelsea’s season that year and THAT header. Drogba is a legend!

[rosianaeo]

Chech was a silent hero. He saved so many penalties that would make Chelsea lost. He saved penalty against Messi in Semifinal. And Robben in Final.

[samz]

How there hasn’t been a video covering the 2005 Champions League final yet, I’ll never know. Y’all have to do something on that one.

[Hamzz]

The fact that Chelsea’s worst team in years won it is crazy . They had a elite team from 2004-2010 and never managed to win it but win it in 2012. 😂🤔

[mandolfc]

PERFECT! more football! You’ve got loads of content for this series!

[SoupRS]

As a Bayern fan, I may just have to skip over this video

[rowanvd]

The 2005 CL final deserves a deep rewind and you should also do one on Troy Deeney's last minute goal against Leicester in the semi-finals of the Championship Play-offs in 2013

[Rishi-nvbp]

Even as a United fan, this is still my favourite cl final that I've watched. The stakes on both sides going into the game were insane.
Cech and Drogba with two of the clutch-est moments in football history. 🙌

[kaibiandaly]

The Napoli comeback, the 2 legs against Barca, and then this final gave me hypertension at 16.

[arushh]

Nine years ago Drogba made history by winning the Champions League title for Chelsea.

7 days from today a new generation will get a chance to win our second. 🏆

Edit: WE'VE DONE IT! CHELSEA ARE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS (AGAIN)! 🏆🏆

[tomatoes]

This game was so legendary, there could have arguably been three rewind moments in this one game. Drogba’s last second insane header, Robben’s missed penalty, and then Drogba’s penalty. Incredible