Normally, when someone compares you to Ronaldinho, it comes across as a compliment, but that’s not exactly what Samuel Eto’o was referring to when he placed Eden Hazard in the same bracket.
The former Cameroon international, who played alongside the Belgian star at Chelsea under José Mourinho, criticised Hazard three years ago on Téléfoot, explaining he needed to train more.
The former Lille forward, who had a very poor 2015-16 season, has rediscovered his form under Antonio Conte, and that’s most probably due to the Italian’s training regime, something Samuel Eto’o touched upon again on Sunday when returning as a guest on the French TV show.
He said: “I said he needed to train a lot, because you can be a very good player like Ronaldinho during a few games, but if you don’t train every day, you do it for two-three seasons and that’s it. Eden understood this, he’s training a lot more, and I can only be happy for him.”
Comparing the Chelsea winger’s stats from last season’s to this time around, it’s clear to see he’s enjoying life a lot more under his new manager, scoring eight goals in 17 games compared to the six in 43 he managed last year.
Hazard once again played a decisive part in his team’s success at the weekend, scoring a goal in Chelsea’s 3-1 away win against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
