Chelsea striker Didier Drogba admits he surprises himself sometimes with his on-field exploits. Drogba will head back to former club Marseille for an irrelevant final Champions League Group F match, hoping his focus on keeping his body at its peak will continue to pay off.

Drogba told The Sun: "I'm not a warrior. I can take punishment for 90 minutes and then score with a crafty move.

"I'm essentially a shy guy. I keep things inside.

"When I see myself on TV with this mad look, which is so aggressive, I tell myself 'That's not me'. Adrenalin transforms me, it allows me to do things that change matches.

"It's not about smashing up opponents. I don't resort to such primitive solutions. I want to beat my defender in a mental way.

"When I hear people talk about me as a 'warrior', I think it's flattering. But it's really simplistic. Before I turned pro, I used to feed myself on pizzas and my body struggled to keep up with the pace in the French Second Division. I was a bit too laid back at 20.

"I already knew I could play in the First Division and shine. I just needed help to raise my level physically. I couldn't even jog properly.

"When I was 22, former Le Mans striker Reginald Ray told me 'With your build, your ability, you should be unstoppable. But you're always injured. What a waste'!

"He then challenged me to push myself for the next months, not to mess around, to eat well and work hard. He seemed so convinced by me.

"So I behaved like a good boy, resting, eating well, working out and also at that time I settled down with my wife.

"In a few weeks, I was already pushing my limits."