High price even without diligence! In an interview, John Obi Mikel revealed his former Chelsea colleague Eden Hazard hasn’t trained much.
Madrid – A lack of diligence and a careless approach to training can no longer afford a professional kicker these days. The days of blessed slackers who could do everything with their talent are long gone in the modern football business. A 115 million man has apparently made it to the top without much zeal.
In 2019, Eden Hazard (32, right) moved to Real Madrid. To date, he is the most expensive signing of Los Blancos. © GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP
As former Nigerian national team captain John Obi Mikel (35) revealed in an interview with radio station Dubai Eye 103.8, his former Chelsea team-mate Eden Hazard (32) was not really enthusiastic about the midweek sessions.
In general, the midfielder was impressed by the training at the “Blues”: “I never knew how much training means until I came to Chelsea. The way they play in games is the way they train. There were tough duels and scuffles on the training ground.”
Only one colleague took it a little easier: “There was no way to say, ‘Okay, I don’t want to train today.’ The only player who did that and got away with it was Eden Hazard.”
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“Oh, he never trained! He was the laziest footballer I’ve ever seen!” Added the 35-year-old ex-pro, but also made it clear: “But at the weekend he produced and suddenly he was the man of the game.”
Eden Hazard treated himself to rice pudding and delivered
John Obi Mikel (35, left) and Eden Hazard (32, above) played together in the “Blues” for years. © FRANCK FIFE / AFP
Between 2012 and 2017, the two players played together at Chelsea FC, then the six went to TJ Teda in the Chinese Super League.
A little over two years later, the Belgian noble technician also left the English capital for an astronomical sum and joined Los Blancos.
There he was only rarely able to build on his brilliant performances of the past days. In a total of 73 appearances for the Madrilenians, the highly talented left winger contributed only seven goals and eleven assists.
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So has Hazard’s erratic attitude now caught up with him? Mikel offered another guess: “He likes food.”
“At Chelsea the night before a game, he sat there for 20 minutes and ate rice pudding,” said the 2013 African champion. “But then he went to bed, woke up the next morning and delivered at 3 p.m. on the dot.”
In addition, the ex-colleague said: “I think if you see him now that he has lost a little weight again.”
Nevertheless, he will not stand on the lawn for the time being. Almost two weeks ago, Hazard was diagnosed with patellar tendinitis, which resulted in a forced break of around a month.