*”If he wasn’t lazy” “He could’ve been good as Cristiano Ronaldo” – Mikel Obi slams Chelsea star
Chelsea have had some immensely talented players over the years.
From Frank Lampard to Cole Palmer, Chelsea have had some incredible natural talents in their squads.
However, perhaps the most natural star Chelsea have ever had is Eden Hazard.
Hazard was a superstar at Chelsea and many of his peers have hailed Hazard for his ability.
Indeed, Thibaut Courtois said Hazard was one of his best teammates ever, while Ronaldinho rated Hazard highly recently.
However, speaking on his podcast, John Obi Mikel has shared a slightly different perspective on Hazard.
The Nigerian says that Hazard was actually one of the laziest players he’s seen in training, but due to his talent, he could produce magic on a matchday.
However, Mikel says that Hazard didn’t work hard, claiming that if he wasn’t so lazy, he could’ve been as good as Cristiano Ronaldo.
Eden Hazard could’ve been as good as Cristiano Ronaldo
Mikel shared his verdict on Hazard and how good he could have been.
According to the pundit, Hazard could have been as good as Ronaldo if he’d just applied himself at Chelsea.
“Oh, he’s the laziest guy, just pure talent,” Mikel said.
“Yeah, just pure talent. He just shows, then he comes up on a Saturday and he just produces magic after magic. And just, you know, score goals, skits assist, you know, go past people very easily.
“But then you’re thinking, how, where the hell did he get that energy, the training to be able to do that? Because, obviously, we’re trained to be able to perform like that on the weekend. Exactly.
“But he just does it. You know, he does those things so freely. It’s unbelievable.
And if he only applied himself just a little bit, you know, I mean, we would have been talking “about a sort of a Cristiano Ronaldo level, I probably would have said.”
Eden Hazard compared to Cristiano Ronaldo after the age of 30
Mikel says that Hazard didn’t work hard enough, and that may be why the Belgian retired at such an early age.
Hazard’s career was cut short, and for all intents and purposes, his career at the top level was over by the time he turned 30.
Compare that to someone like Cristiano Ronaldo who is still playing and scoring goals to this day.
Hazard was basically finished by the time he turned 30, while Ronaldo has kept up that incredible level of goalscoring form over the past 10 years.
In terms of peak ability, Hazard was up there with the best in the world, but, in terms of longevity, Hazard doesn’t compare to a player like Ronaldo, and that may be down to his work off the pitch.
Cristiano Ronaldo after turning 30 Eden Hazard after turning 30
466 Games. 46
379 Goals. 4
87 Assists. 5