I felt disgusted when I joined Chelsea - Drogba

London, Nov 3: Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba said he felt disgusted with himself when he left French club Olympique Marseille for big-spending Chelsea in July 2004.

''The day I signed for Chelsea I just felt disgusted,'' he was quoted as saying in British newspaper The Sun today, which sourced the comments to Drogba's official DVD on sale in France.

''I know when I say this people are going to look at the financial aspect of my move but money didn't count for me. I was unhappy. I wanted to leave after only a few weeks, I wasn't happy at all.'' Drogba said he had been so keen to stay at Marseille that he wanted to fail his medical with the Premier League club.

''I did some absurd things just so I wouldn't have to go to Chelsea,'' he said. ''The medical was in a Paris hospital and I clearly remember praying they would find a problem with my knee or something so the move would collapse.

''I didn't care what I'd lose. I wasn't interested in the money I'd make, I simply didn't want to leave Marseille.

''I wanted to stay with Marseille until the end of my career.'' Jose Mourinho was the coach when Drogba joined Chelsea and the striker did not take long to declare his unhappiness after the Portuguese left the London club in September, to be replaced by Israeli Avram Grant.

''I want to leave Chelsea. Something is broken with the club,'' Drogba told France Football magazine in October.

''I cannot hide the fact I've taken this whole business very badly, probably because I made the mistake of allowing too much of an emotional attachment in my relations with the coach.'' Drogba later said he regretted saying he wanted to leave Chelsea.

Reuters>