MONTREAL -- The most remarkable thing about Didier Drogba's first few months in MLS isn't his unprecedented production. It's that his arrival in the league happened at all.
With 12 goals in 11 starts since early September, Drogba has almost single-footedly dragged the previously overlooked Montreal Impact to within 90 minutes of the domestic circuit's final four -- a draw would be enough to advance in Sunday's decisive Eastern Conference semifinal against the Columbus Crew (5 p.m. ET, ESPN/WatchESPN) -- and transformed this family-run Canadian club into a legitimate title dark horse. Some sharp MLS observers even consider Montreal the current MLS Cup favorite.
The funny thing is, the Impact weren't even shopping for a big-ticket savior such as Drogba when Nick De Santis' cellphone rang over the summer.
"The league called me and asked if we were interested," Impact vice president De Santis told ESPN FC in an interview this week. "Didier had been in discussions with Chicago, but talks had broken down. I called Joey [Saputo, Montreal's owner], and I said 'I know our intention was to spend a certain amount of money, but there's this possibility.' Joey was good enough to say he thought we were at a point now where he could take the financial risk and see the reaction."
But first they had to seal the deal. De Santis contacted Drogba's France-based representatives and asked whether he could speak to the Ivorian forward.
"Didier was very straightforward," De Santis said. "One of the first things he mentioned was, 'I don't want to go to a team where everything is going to be on my shoulders.' The conversation went from English to French, and you could see that he started getting comfortable with me. I went player per player through our team, told him how he was going to help us. I said that we weren't just looking for someone to come in and score goals; we were, but with the guys we have in other positions, we needed that big No. 9 that they can link up with. The discussions I had with him were genuine. I felt pretty good about our chances afterward."
When De Santis and Saputo, who declined to be interviewed for this story, began negotiations, their comfort in both languages again helped the process along.
"His agents only spoke French," De Santis said. "Conversations with agents can get heated. Translators sometimes change little words. Being able to talk directly, I think, helped us a lot."
In the end, Drogba agreed to an 18-month contract that will pay him $2.17 million in 2015, according to the MLS Players Union.
For an Impact squad that was struggling at the gate despite a talented squad that had lost in the CONCACAF Champions League final just months earlier, the unplanned outlay represented a significant gamble. Despite Drogba's pedigree -- 104 English Premier League goals, three EPL championships and a UEFA Champions League title in 2012 -- success in MLS wasn't guaranteed, as proved by the struggles of other marquee midseason arrivals such as Steven Gerrard, Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard, Drogba's former Chelsea teammate.
Drogba is older than all three. So, rather than throw him in the lineup right away, the club let the 37-year-old settle in at his own pace after the deal became official on July 27. Weeks went by. Fans who bought tickets to see Drogba play were left disappointed. Eyebrows began to arch across the league. But when Drogba made his first start, on Sept. 5, he torched the Fire for a hat trick.
"He needed time," De Santis said. "He's the kind of guy who needs to be feeling good about himself to show everything he has. But the day he stepped on the field, you saw the difference. From day one he's brought so much to the table."
As much as Drogba has boosted the Impact on the field, his influence off it has been just as profound. Montreal finished the regular season with four straight sellouts. With more Twitter followers than the NHL's Canadiens, he has introduced the city to countless fans around the world. And inside the Impact locker room, his new teammates revere him.
"Whenever you have a guy of that caliber come in, there's potential that it could separate the group," said Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush. "Didier's done the opposite. He brought everyone together. The first road trip he went on, we're flying commercial and he's in first class. He was like 'This isn't right' and came back and sat with us. He doesn't want special treatment. You see a little thing like that and it really gives you perspective on who he is. He's down to earth."
Although Drogba and MLS have turned down every one-on-one interview request with the Ivorian since his arrival, including ours, he's been an ambassador behind the scenes. He signs autographs and poses for pictures after every training session. He visits sick kids in the hospital. He led members of the Impact academy in a dance-off; the video quickly went viral.
He is the glue in Montreal the way he was for so long at Chelsea, who seem to have missed his presence more than most realized they would this season. Drogba's success in MLS hasn't gone unnoticed in England, either; under-fire Blues boss Jose Mourinho was asked last week whether he would consider bringing his old striker back on loan this winter. (Mourinho said he wouldn't.)
As for how far Drogba and Montreal can go in these MLS playoffs, nobody, including the player himself, is setting any limits for what's possible.
"I really don't know," he said last week when asked by ESPN what they could achieve. "I think we need to stay focused."
But win or lose on Sunday, Drogba's first half-season in North American will go down as a smashing, unqualified success.
"He's been phenomenal," De Santis said. "When he came in, he immediately put everyone at ease: the players, the staff, the management. Now he's got everyone going in his direction. He wants to win. He expresses that every day. He shows it in his play; he shows it in his personality.
"He's scored 12 goals, but he's done so much more for this club."
And he's not done yet.