Sven-Goran Eriksson is trying to shed some light on why Africa is still waiting for a first World Cup triumph more than 20 years after Brazil legend Pele predicted a winner from the continent by 2000.
By the end of the 2010 World Cup, the Swede understood Drogba was not being negative - just realistic.
"The reason why they don't do it? One word: organisation. It was total chaos when I joined," Eriksson told BBC Sport.
At one stage, Pele's prediction looked like it might come to pass. Nigeria came top of a group featuring Argentina and Diego Maradona at the 1994 edition, while the likes of George Weah and Jay-Jay Okocha were making their mark in Europe during the 1990s.
Yet Africa, the second most-populated continent and a place where football is king, has still to produce a team to advance beyond the quarter-finals - let alone lift the gold trophy.
Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia will compete in Russia later this month - but few believe they will get near the final, including former Cameroon defender Lauren.
"I could say we'll have a team in the semi-finals but that's not the reality," said the two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner. "We're still behind the top teams."
POWER SHIFT IN AFRICA?
None of the five heading to Russia are in the top 20 of Fifa's world rankings and Peter Odemwingie, the former Nigeria forward, claims African football has gone backwards.
"There's definitely been a decline," said the ex-West Brom, Cardiff and Stoke striker, who played at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
"Nigeria had one of the best African squads at the 1994 World Cup. We were knocking on the door. We won the 1996 Olympics by beating Brazil and Argentina with all their stars.
"That period was like, 'yes, it's coming'."
But Nigeria, who will be competing at their sixth finals in Russia, are still waiting. Along with the rest of Africa.
The three teams to make the quarter-finals - Cameroon (1990) , Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) - have come from sub-Saharan Africa.
But in Russia, there will be more teams from the north than elsewhere on the continent, including a first appearance in 28 years for Egypt and a return after 20 years for Morocco.
A number of north African countries have players who learned their trade at academies in Europe, but it is Morocco who arrive at this World Cup with the most foreign-born players - seventeen of their 23-man squad were born outside the country.
Odemwingie believes those who play for the north African nations are "more clever" at reading the game and has also noticed a physical difference.
"It's like Anthony Joshua fighting Floyd Mayweather," he said on comparing a typical player from sub-Saharan Africa with one from the north. "The players in the north are a little bit leaner.
"They always start free-kicks faster, they have the mental game a bit more than the sub-Saharan teams."
'IT'S AFRICA, IT'S LIKE THIS'
Eriksson was in charge of Ivory Coast leading up to and during the 2010 World Cup.
He had plenty of talent at his disposal, including forwards Drogba and Salomon Kalou, who had both just won the Premier League with Chelsea,as well as midfielder Yaya Toure.
Yet the former England boss encountered "a total lack of organisation" as he prepared for group games in South Africa against Portugal, Brazil and North Korea.
"We played a friendly in Switzerland and we went into the dressing room and there were no shirts, no kit, and it was one hour and fifteen minutes before kick-off," Eriksson said.
"I asked where the kit man was and was told he will come.
"One hour before the game - kit man not there. Forty-five minutes [before], the kit man came with two huge bags and he put them on the dressing room floor.
"All the players were in the bags looking for shirts that fit them. All I could hear was: 'This is not mine, this is yours'.
"Just before the warm-up one of the players came to me and said: 'I can't play'. I asked: 'Are you injured?' He said: 'No, the kit man forgot my boots.' The hotel was far away so he couldn't play.
"Drogba said to me: 'Sven, it's Africa. It's like this.'
LACK OF HOME-GROWN NATIONAL MANAGERS
Of the 44 occasions African teams have competed at the World Cup come Russia 2018, 30 will have been managed by a non-African.
Cameroon, who as seven-time qualifiers are Africa's most successful World Cup nation, have been led by four Frenchmen, two Germans and one Russian at the tournament.
In Russia, Egypt, Morocco and Nigeria will be coached by an Argentine, a Frenchman and a German respectively.
Scotland's James McRea, a player with West Ham and Manchester United, set the tone for Africa's World Cup outings when leading Egypt in 1934. Fans had to wait another 44 years for a first African World Cup coach, with Abdelmajid Chetali leading Tunisia to the continent's first win at the finals - a 3-1 defeat of Mexico.
LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL?
Morocco is in the running to host the World Cup in eight years' time.
The North African nation is the only rival to a joint bid from Canada, Mexico and the United States for the expanded 48-team 2026 finals. A decision is due on Wednesday.
Journalist and African football expert Mark Gleeson does not think it is beyond the realms of possibility that Africa will be celebrating a World Cup success in the future.
"You will always get these rare moments when everything clicks," he said. "Look at Turkey in 2002. It would have been a preposterous idea before the tournament that they would reach the semi-finals."
And despite a lack of organisation, infrastructure and finances, Jaidi is confident about the future.