John Obi Mikel prompt Eden Hazard had it in him to be nearly as good as Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi… if solely he had tried in coaching!
Mikel admitted that the Chelsea legend wasn’t a fan of getting right down to work on the membership’s Cobham coaching floor, one thing which will have stopped him reaching his potential.
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Hazard, who joined from Lille for £32million in 2012, is a Chelsea legend.
In his profession with the membership, he made 352 appearances for the Blues, scoring 110 targets and offering 85 assists alongside the way in which to serving to the membership to 2 Premier League titles, two Europa League crowns and an FA Cup.
Having performed collectively for 5 years, Mikel knew all about Hazard’s skills however admitted that his stellar profession may have been even higher.
Requested who the most effective participant he is ever performed with Mikel informed talkSPORT Drive: “Technically? Eden Hazard.”
Requested if he fulfilled his potential, Mikel mentioned: “No. He didn’t prepare. He didn’t apply himself. Think about if he did?
“Think about if he labored out like a Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi?
“He didn’t like coaching, he didn’t fancy it as a result of he was so technically gifted that he didn’t want it.”
Jason Cundy then requested if soccer got here straightforward to Hazard, to which Mikel replied: “Too straightforward.
“He didn’t prepare, then went out on a Saturday at 3pm and wins you the sport and wins man of the match.
“What are you able to say? Nothing.”
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Responding to Mikel’s feedback, Claude Makelele mentioned: “You may say many issues!
Mikel replied: “We informed him, Claude.
“He’d say ‘no, depart me alone’. He’d say ‘I don’t need to go and prepare, you go and prepare’.”
Makelele then added: “Do you bear in mind after we have been beginning with (Arjen) Robben, it was the identical however each single day on the coaching floor we informed him as a result of we knew that we wanted him in a sport.
“Generally it wants to return out of your teammates.”
In the meantime, Cundy mentioned: “When it comes really easy, and Eden Hazard is the most effective Chelsea participant I’ve ever seen. He is the most effective I’ve ever seen.
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“However when it comes so simply, and he did not need to be the most effective on the earth. He did not need to be a Cristiano, he did not need to be a Lionel Messi.
“He was blissful doing what he was doing. And also you’re completely proper, the issue you have received, he can be the most effective participant on the pitch on a Saturday.
“Now I do not know what he did midweek as a result of I did not see that. However each Saturday that he turned up, he was the most effective participant on the pitch.”
In an interview with L’Equipe, Hazard was requested to weigh in on the everlasting debate which pits the Argentinian celebrity towards the Portugese icon – and to supply an opinion on how he measured up himself.
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“Individually, Messi is probably the one one [better than me],” he mentioned.
“I cherished watching the Barcelona participant, much less so on the finish, however he is the best in historical past.
“It is not possible to take the ball away from him.
“Cristiano is an even bigger participant than me however, by way of pure soccer, I actually do not assume so.
“Neymar, perhaps.
“After that, he is no higher than me, however at Actual, you have received the most effective, additionally by way of their careers: [Karim] Benzema, [Luka] Modric, they have been the most effective, [Toni] Kroos, Kevin [De Bruyne], all of them exude soccer.”
After seven years with Chelsea, Hazard joined Actual Madrid for a charge in extra of £88.5million.
Regardless of struggling to recapture the shape he confirmed in west London, Hazard did win two LaLiga titles and a Champions League whereas scoring seven targets and offering 12 assists in 76 matches.
He was additionally part of Belgium’s golden era, scoring 33 targets in 126 matches for his nation earlier than retiring from soccer in 2023.
