Former Chelsea star Eden Hazard makes surprise pick while naming most talented player he played with

New Delhi: Former Belgium star Eden Hazard named forgotten Chelsea star Gael Kakuta as the most talented player he had as a teammate.

Hazard during his playing days featured alongside the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, Frank Lampard and many more. But ahead of the top stars, he named Kakuta as the most talented player he ever lined up against.

"In Real Madrid I play with the best player[s] 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," Hazard said while appearing as a guest on John Obi Mikel's The Obi One podcast quoted from Goal.

"I'm gonna give you one name and John knows the player. The only one I was saying "wow" was Gael Kakuta. You asked me talent. Kakuta by far number one. Talent. I mean, talent. Wow," he added.

Kakuta at the age of 15 was signed by Chelsea from Ligue 1 side Lens in 2007. But he failed to live up to his reputation at the Stamford Bridge and mostly spent time on loan away from the club.

He finally secured a move away from the club in 2016 after making just 16 appearances with The Blues. He found some redemption in France and currently plays for Amiens in Ligue 2.

"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," Hazard said.

Hazard retired from football at the age of 32 following his spell with Real Madrid which was majorly plagued by injuries.