Definition of Trascinatore

What is the meaning of the term Trascinatore when it comes to the beautiful game of football (soccer)?

Italians, as everyone knows, love football. The Italian language is full of words and terms that describe different types of players and situations on the football pitch. Trascinatore is one of them.

The famous Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti once called the Chelsea striker Didier Drogba a Trascinatore.  What is the meaning of this term?

A player described as a trascinatore is a player that brings the team together. When that player is inspired and feeling good, he/she is impossible to play against. A trascinatore is a leader, but also more than that. He, as Jose Mourinho once said, is a 'special killer'. After Cristiano Ronaldo inspired a big Juventus comeback against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League with a hat-trick in a 3-0 (3-2 on aggregate) victory, trascinatore was the word that came to mind. Didier Drogba at Chelsea FC was a trascinatore. Pavel Nedved at Juventus was also one and so was Francesco Totti at Roma.

A trascinatore is that special player on a team, invaluable and irreplaceable.