When Didier Drogba scored that decisive penalty in Munich, it brought the 2011/12 Champions League campaign to a close some 10 months after it started.

It ended in glory for Chelsea, but when the qualifying rounds began in July 2011, a future Blue was taking his first steps in a competition he has now won a remarkable four times.

Mateo Kovacic had only just turned 17, but he featured in all six of Dinamo Zagreb’s qualifying matches that summer. When the tournament proper came around, he started in the Croatians’ midfield as they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Real Madrid, his future employers.

So this season - one in which the Blues are trying to defend our European crown - marks a decade since Kovacic’s Champions League bow, and good reason to reflect on what it takes to climb the highest summit in club football.

‘Ten years is a long period of time, so you learn a lot,’ says Kovacic.

‘I learned that you need to have a lot of patience to get to the top, and not only in football. That leads me to the Champions League games. You have to have patience and work hard in order to win the biggest trophies.

‘I think that Chelsea were a great example. We started the tournament last season with a lot of patience without much pressure, and we ended up achieving what very few people expected – to win the Champions League. That’s a lesson I learned.

‘Patience is the most important thing because, when you have that and when you work hard, you achieve the biggest things.’

Nobody can doubt Kovacic’s credentials. Having played for Inter Milan, Real Madrid and now Chelsea, the 27-year-old has been accustomed to fighting for titles from a very early age. He knows what it takes to do it again and again, and he says he continues to relish that challenge.

‘Each season goes hand in hand with pressure, especially when you play for a club like Chelsea, who are serial trophy collectors with their eyes on the prize at all times. Last year we won the Champions League, but this year we have to prove ourselves again.

‘We want to be at the top, and that goes for the Premier League as well. So yes, the pressure is always there, but it’s also nice to see that people have high expectations of you. The pressure doesn’t kick pleasure out of the equation.’

Regarding the immediate job at hand, Kovacic believes Lille will be worthy opponents and provide us with a stern challenge in SW6, but he is keen to stress what makes this Chelsea team great is how focused we are on our style of play.

Much of that is down to Thomas Tuchel, who has overseen the Blues’ renaissance since arriving a little over a year ago. The boss has also helped bring out the best in Kovacic, whose presence in the heart of our midfield alongside either N’Golo Kante or Jorginho has been central to our trophy-laden nine months.

‘There have been good and bad moments for me at Chelsea, as there are for every player at every club, but when Tuchel became the coach of Chelsea, everything changed a lot,’ explains Kova.

‘Everything now suits me – the style of play, the way we train. Maybe at previous clubs the coaches didn't trust me, I always lacked the trust of the coaches in me, and I got that from Tuchel at Chelsea.

‘He trusts me a lot, I play all the time, and everything has worked out for me. I love the city and the club, and I am progressing in every sense.’