“He was just something else”- Aina heaps praise on off-colour Ex-Chelsea teammate

The Real Madrid star has failed to live up to his name in the Spanish capital, but Aina believes he is one of the most gifted players ever

Super Eagles defender Ola Aina has praised former teammate Eden Hazard for the quality he displayed during his time at Chelsea.

Hazard was one of the best players in the world before his €115million transfer to Real Madrid in 2019. The Belgian talisman was expected to take Spain by storm- just like he did in the Premier League.

However, it has not happened for Hazard in the last three seasons. He has been in and out of the treatment table in the last three seasons.

The 31-year-old who turns 32 in January has played a paltry 72 games for Real Madrid, registering seven goals and eleven assists.

Hazard has been a shadow of the player that registered 110 goals and 92 assists in 352 games for Chelsea.

Nigerian defender Aina graduated from the Chelsea academy, as he played alongside Hazard before he left the club. Aina believes that the Belgian maestro was top-notch during his time at the Bridge.

 

“Eden was something else, it used to come to him so easy,” Aina said as per The Byline.

“He never looked like he was struggling to get past a player. His touches were right, balance, and everything was just perfect. The whole time he was at Chelsea, he was just a man.

“When you have that kind of feeling your confidence is just out of the roof. That’s how it was with him.”

 

Since Hazard left Chelsea, the club has struggled to replace him. Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, and Pulisic have failed to fill his boots.