MONTREAL: Major League Soccer (MLS) offers a tougher challenge than the English Premier League and will soon be one of the best domestic competitions in world football, according to Chelsea great Didier Drogba.

The former Ivory Coast striker has just completed a successful first season with the Montreal Impact after leaving Chelsea in May.

"It's a different challenge (in the US)," Drogba told Reuters in an interview. "People think it's easy to play there. Believe me, it's more difficult than playing in the Premier League because of the travel.

"You can stay at an airport for three or four hours if you miss your flight, so that is what is really levelling the game.

"There are not a lot of away wins because when the teams arrive they are tired. There are also some very good players in the league," Drogba said.

"It's a growing league and I think it's going to be one of the most important and decisive leagues in the world in a few years."

Montreal qualified for the playoffs by finishing third in the Eastern Conference.

They beat Toronto FC in the knockout round before going out in the two-game Eastern Conference semi-finals where they lost to Columbus Crew.

Asked about his plans beyond his playing days, the man Time Magazine selected in 2010 as one of the world's 100 most influential people for his humanitarian work said he wanted to leave a lasting legacy.

"What I really want is to have an impact on people, to be able to have an impact on social things like my foundation or to be able to change things," explained Drogba. "I want to help people."

However, a career in politics is not on the agenda.

"No, that's not what I want to do," said Drogba. "I want to keep my freedom.

"I want to be able to touch more people, not just the people who believe in me. I want to be able to make people understand that they don't have to believe in me but I'm there to help."