Olaleye Idowu
Former Chelsea captain, Cesar Azpilicueta has named Didier Drogba among three toughest-ever opponents he ever played against.
Azpilicueta spent 11 seasons at the Premier League west London club before joining Atletico Madrid in 2023.
In a recent interview with ESPN, the veteran defender was asked to name the three toughest opponents he has faced in his career.
The 35-year-old mentioned Drogba, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa.
interestingly, Azpilicueta was a former teammate with Drogba, Hazard and Costa during his time at Chelsea.
The Spaniard revealed that he faced Hazard in Ligue 1 while he was at Marseille and the Belgian was at Lille.
He also played against Drogba when the Ivorian was at Galatasaray and Costa when the striker was at Atletico Madrid.
“Well, the one that comes out quickly is Eden Hazard, because he was my teammate for a long time,” Azpilicueta said when asked to name the three toughest-ever opponents he ever played against.
“Also, when I was in Marseille we played against Lille. I was in Marseille; he was in Lille.
“I remembered in half-time against him. You know Didier Drogba, he was one playing for Galatasaray and I was in Chelsea, he was a tough striker.
“Diego Costa, I would say the third one I played against when he was at Atletico Madrid.”
Azpilicueta made 508 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 17 times and providing 51 more.
He is sixth on the Chelsea’s record appearance holders list.
