"He doesn’t even lace his boots" - John Obi Mikel claims ex-Chelsea teammate never trained during stint with club

Modified Apr 08, 2025 17:56 GMT

74th FIFA Congress 2024 - Player and Legends Interviews - Source: Getty — Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has said that his former teammate Eden Hazard didn't work hard enough in training. The Belgian spent a hugely successful seven-season stint at Stamford Bridge, though.

The now-retired Hazard played over 350 times across competitions in seven seasons with the Blues, contributing a rich haul of 110 goals and 87 assists, winning two Premier League and as many UEFA Europa League titles.

Mikel said on The High Performance Podcast (as per TBR) about his former teammate's training style at Stamford Bridge:

“Training (he was) the worst guy. The worst guy in training. The worst. The worst guy in training. He never trained. No, never trained. No, no, no. Yeah, he just stands there. I mean, he doesn’t even lace his boots. His boots were unlaced.

“You know, he puts his hands in his pants during training. He walks around. He doesn’t train. But the managers just let him get away with it. But then come the weekend, 3pm, he wins us the game.”

About the Belgian's dietary habits, Mikel added:

“He eats chocolate. He eats everything. And we’re all sitting there trying to eat like, you know, good diet to be able to perform. But he eats all that cr – and goes on the pitch, and he’s the best player.”

Hazard would move on to Real Madrid, where he spent an injury-plagued four seasons between 2019 and 2023, managing just seven goals and 12 assists in 76 appearances across competitions before calling it a day.

What's next for Chelsea?

Chelsea have had a decent season under Enzo Maresca, who replaced Argentine Mauricio Pochettino at the start of the campaign. The Championship-winning former Leicester City boss has taken his side to fourth in the Premier League with seven matches remaining.

Coming off a goalless league draw at Brenford at the weekend, Maresca's side next travel to Legia Warsaw for the first leg of their UEFA Europa Confernece Leaue quarter-final first leg on Thursday (April 10).

They return to Premier League action at home to Crystal Palace three days later before hosting Legia on April 17 to conclude their Conference League quarter-final tie.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Bhargav