Positive input from Alessandro Nesta and former Chelsea teammates and staff played an important role in Drogba's decision to join the Montreal Impact.

MONTREAL — Didier Drogba has only just signed with the Montreal Impact, but says he already feels at home.

Speaking at a press conference Thursday evening, where the Impact’s fans members provided a festive atmosphere, Drogba thanked the Montreal fans for Wednesday’s passionate greeting at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport, saying it even surpassed the welcome he received in Turkey when he joined Galatasaray in 2013.

“It was crazy. In Istanbul the madness was there, but this time it was different and I didn’t expect that,” Drogba said. “Thank you because you made me feel at home from the first second I landed in Montreal so thank you very much.”

With a slew of clubs trying to sign the Ivorian ever since his contract with Chelsea expired last May (including the Chicago Fire, who had his MLS rights) Drogba explained the motivations behind signing with the Impact.

Citing the French speaking climate of Montreal and positive discussions with club president Joey Saputo as pivotal reasons for his decision to move to Quebec, Drogba also said he reached out to former Italian international defender Alessandro Nesta to get his input about the club.

Nesta played with the Impact between 2012 and 2013.

“I spoke to Nesta before coming here and he had a really good time here,” Drogba stated.

With Chelsea making Montreal its base for their North American summer tour and using the Impact’s newly built training facilities at the Caserne Letourneaux, Drogba said that Chelsea players and staff spoke highly of the city and the club’s training ground and encouraged him to sign with the Impact.

“They all spoke very well of Montreal, and especially of the training facility,” Drogba said. “The training facility counts for a lot: it’s important because that’s where we always train and it’s important to be comfortable there.”

Drogba says he hopes to help the Impact win trophies during his 18-month stay, but cautioned that he might need a few weeks to get into game shape since he hasn’t played an official match since May.

“If it was up to me I would play right away,” he said. “Seriously, it’s been two-and-a-half months since I haven’t played, so it’s going to take some time. I’ll have to see with the coach to find a timeline.”

The Impact take on Andrea Pirlo and New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.