Chelsea star Didier Drogba admits he almost committed himself to France.

Drogba attracted the interest of former Les Bleus coach Jacques Santini nearly a decade ago and admits he would have agreed to represent them.

Drogba's roots have always been with the Ivory Coast but he was not keen to turn out for the national team until the country had a more stable government.

"I do not have any regrets," said Drogba. "I'm sure that if I had been called up as a youngster then I would have opted for French nationality.

"I don't think that would have bothered me, especially because at that time there was no real reason to want to play for the Ivory Coast because it was such a huge mess.

"That was when the players were locked up after bad results, as after the African Nations Cup in 2000 they were imprisoned by General Guei as punishment.

"The call-up brought me closer to my origins, my roots and my people. Like all those who have a double culture, I was looking for myself a bit.

"Accepting that invitation to play for my country helped me find out who I really was."