Eden Hazard doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to training in between Chelsea games, however former teammate Jorginho seems to disagree with this theory.
The Belgian is widely-renowned as one of the best to ever take to the pitch at Stamford Bridge, and constantly produced game-changing moments for the Blues.
As Chelsea prepare for their Champions League return in Qarabag, they can look back on when Hazard helped decimate Qarabag in the last meeting between the two sides.
Eden Hazard celebrates after Chelsea vs Arsenal in Europa League final
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Jorginho describes Eden Hazard as the toughest player to mark he has ever seen
Despite his brilliance on the pitch, there has always been a stigma that the winger did not put the same effort into his training.
Jorginho though, who was teammates with Hazard for a season before he departed for Real Madrid in 2019, was clearly wowed by what he saw from him in that time.
When asked who the most difficult player to mark was, the Italy international didn’t hesitate before answering with Hazard, whilst also describing him as a beautiful player to watch.
The duo were on the same side for the 2019 Europa League final victory against Arsenal which is remembered very fondly amongst Chelsea fans.
It was also Maurizio Sarri’s only trophy during his brief time at the club. The Blues were defeated in the League Cup final despite Hazard’s goal in the penalty shootout, while Jorginho was denied.
Chelsea FC v Crystal Palace - Premier League
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Jose Mourinho’s scathing verdict on Eden Hazard in training
While Jose Mourinho was the beneficiary of Hazard’s brilliance on the pitch, he was not so impressed with what he saw in training.
He described the winger as an ‘awful trainer’, saying to TalkSPORT: “The truth is what you see from him, he is an amazing player with awful training. You can only imagine what he could be with a super professional attitude in training.
“In the end, he is an amazing kid, he is an incredible family man, he looks like he doesn’t belong to this generation of players, he’s very quiet and is totally focused on family, on kids, on parents, on a very quiet life.
“But he gets onto the pitch every morning and… he doesn’t work much. When he gets onto the pitch you don’t see the reflection of a week of work, you just see a reflection of his talent.”
This is perhaps behind the reason why things did not go to plan for the Belgian after he got his dream move to Madrid, with him officially retiring in October 2023.