Eden Hazard has revealed which former Chelsea teammate was 'by far' more talented than the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Juan Mata and even Frank Lampard. The former Blues winger was left without a club in the summer after Real Madrid terminated his contract a year ahead of a schedule.
Despite reportedly receiving offers from as many as six different clubs after leaving the Santiago Bernabeu, Hazard decided to hang up his boots. In an official statement, the 33-year-old paid homage to Lille, Chelsea and Los Blancos before vowing to enjoy time with his loved ones.
Throughout his glittering career, Hazard rubbed shoulders with some of the best players of all time. But when asked on the Obi One Podcast, hosted by former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, which of his former colleagues had the most talent, the Blues legend didn't name Cesc Fabregas, Vinicius Junior or even Toni Kroos.
Hazard said: "In Real Madrid I play with the best player in the world. For me [Luka] Modric, [Karim] Benzema, they are top top of the list. When you say Kevin De Bruyne, he's top on the list, when you say [Frank] Lampard he's top of the list, Juan Mata for me was top of the list.
"I'm gonna give you one name and John knows the player. The only one I was saying "wow" but when I stopped playing young team you know in France was Gael Kakuta. You asked me talent. Kakuta by far number one. Talent. I mean, talent. Wow."
Kakuta joined Chelsea from RC Lens in 2007 and he was once tipped to become the next big thing at Stamford Bridge. However, after six fairly unsuccessful loan spells, the former Blues wonderkid penned a deal at Sevilla upon the expiration of his contract in west London.
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"You know, I play I play against him a lot when because I used to play in Lille and he was playing in Lens," Hazard added. "You know, it's a derby, it's the north of France. So me being me. We used to win every game every game every game five, six zero.
"Me: best player every game. And then every time we play against him, we're losing game. He's the best player. He's the best player. This is not normal.
"I think now is easy to say but I think it went a bit too early [to] Chelsea. He was 16 when he when he when he left France for Chelsea, you know? And that step at 16 is a huge step."
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