John Terry is among the best footballers to ever play for Chelsea. With 717 appearances for the club, he is the Blues' second most-capped star. He made that time count as well.
Indeed, the Englishman left Stamford Bridge in 2017 with five Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League and the Europa League in his trophy cabinet. As such, he is and always will be regarded as one of the best defenders the English top flight has ever seen.
As a result of spending such a long period at the top of the game, Terry saw plenty of brilliant footballers come and go at Chelsea. With that in mind, he is well-placed to say who was the most talented.
John Terry Called Eden Hazard "Chelsea's Most Talented Player"
Also praised Frank Lampard
When asked to create an XI of his best teammates, Terry listed all sorts of brilliant players. As expected, the likes of Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba all made the side.
But when it came to choosing the left-winger, he selected Eden Hazard. This in itself is no surprise, but it's the level of praise he gave to the Belgian that is noteworthy, as he called him "Chelsea's most talented player," saying:
“Hazard goes straight in as, for me, being Chelsea's most talented player."
He was following up on his claim, having first brought up Hazard's name when talking about Lampard. Terry explained: “Lamps goes in instantly. I think Frank's our best-ever player. And again for longevity, goals, repetition year after year.
“Lamps falls in that category. Hazard's our most talented-ever player, but in terms of what he achieved, Lamps goes right at the very top for me. He's in."
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The former England and Chelsea midfielder did not hesitate with his answer.
Terry Claimed Hazard Was on Messi and Ronaldo Level
"He is the one who steps up"
It's not the first time Terry has dished out big praise for Hazard, either. In 2018, he even went as far as to say he was as good as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and could perhaps be even better:
"He has been our best player by a long way this year and in those games when you are looking for a bit of extra, a bit of magic from someone he is the one who steps up and managed to create something. He is up there with the Messis and Ronaldos and can still get better and better."
Terry isn't the only one to rate Hazard highly. Both Alan Shearer and Micah Richards consider him to be among the greatest wingers in Premier League history. The former ranked the Belgian third on his list of 10, while the latter had him in at fourth.
Despite his undoubted quality, he struggled after leaving Chelsea. The forward would retire at the age of 32 after an injury-plagued spell at Real Madrid.
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