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Chelsea star Kai Havertz has claimed he felt the pressure to become the new Cristiano Ronaldo when he joined the Premier League giants last summer from Bayer Leverkusen. The Blues paid a club-record fee of £71 million to sign the German from the Bundesliga side last summer.
Havertz rose through the youth system at Bayer Leverkusen before making his debut for the club in 2016 at just 17 years of age. The attacking midfielder soon became a regular in the German club's starting line-up.
His impressive performances made him one of the most sought after youngsters in world football. Havertz scored 12 goals and provided six assists in the Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen in the 2019-20 season.
He was heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, Chelsea and Bayern Munich before finally joining the London outfit in the summer of 2020. Havertz endured a difficult first campaign in England, scoring just nine goals in 45 appearances in all competitions.
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The attacking midfielder struggled to cope with the speed and physicality of the English game. He did, however, rediscover some form after the arrival of Thomas Tuchel in January.
The German tactician preferred to play Havertz as a 'false nine'. Tuchel's tactics seemed to benefit the German youngster as he put in a number of impressive performances for Chelsea towards the end of the season. He topped off the season by scoring the winning goal for Chelsea in the Champions League final against Manchester City.
In an interview with German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, the Chelsea star responded to comparisons between him and Cristiano Ronaldo.
"People expect you to be the new Cristiano Ronaldo. But it won't be that fast, everything is new and I really didn't play my best football at the beginning."
Despite his age and the uncertainty over his future at Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to perform at the highest level. His brace against Hungary in Portugal's opening EURO 2020 match also made him the highest goalscorer in the history of the Euros. Ronaldo looks determined to lead Portugal to another European Championship title this summer.
Also read: Paul Merson's Euro 2020: 5 surprise contenders for the Player of the Tournament award
Chelsea star Kai Havertz will take confidence from the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo took time to settle into the Premier League
Kai Havertz training with Germany ahead of their EURO 2020 clash against France
Like Kai Havertz, Ronaldo struggled to perform on a consistent basis during his first season with Manchester United in the Premier League. The Portuguese star joined the Red Devils as a teenager from Sporting Lisbon in 2003, but took his time to adapt to English football.
The Portuguese did show glimpses of his brilliance in his first season with Manchester United, but managed to score just six goals in his debut season with the club. On a mere statistical level, Havertz has had a more productive debut campaign and will hope to improve further in the 2021-22 season.
Also Read: Strongest possible starting XI for England | UEFA Euro 2020
