Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has hailed the impact Jose Mourinho has had on his career.

When Chelsea boss, Mourinho, who is now reigning supreme at Inter Milan, signed Drogba for a whopping £24million from Marseille in 2004.

Although he struggled to initially adapt to the rough and tumble of the English game, Drogba has subsequently gone on to become one of the Premier League's most feared strikers, something he puts down to the faith shown in him by Mourinho and the Portuguese tactician's superb man-management styles.

"Mourinho is somebody very strong tactically but mainly from the psychological side. He knows how to get through to the players," Drogba told RTL.

"I remember sometimes I would talk to him and say 'Why are you giving me two days off even though we have a match in a few days?' And he said that my rest was mostly psychological.

"That means you can cut yourself off for a couple of days and you rest and you're mentally well and you come back fresh. The mental side is 90 per cent of football. The players are with him absolutely. He gives you everything.

"He says 'Do what you want, with me you can do what you want. But on the pitch you give me everything. You don't betray me. I give you everything you want, I give you days off but you must be performing on the pitch.'

"He would come and tell you if you had a bad game that you didn't play well but the next match if you played well he'd also come to say 'For me you were man of the match.'

"I loved him because he made me progress as a player. I was ready to break my legs for him."