After winning the Champions League 2020-21 season, Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta labelled teammate N'Golo Kante as the best midfielder in the world.
Sole strike from Kai Havertz helped Chelsea defeat Manchester City 1-0 in the finals of the UEFA Champions League on Saturday (local time) here at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto. This was the first time that Chelsea had made it to the finals of the Champions League after winning the title way back in 2012.
"It's straightforward, yes he is the best in the world. He does everything. The energy he brings, I don't know how many ball recoveries he had today. The way he drives the ball forward, he covers so much ground," Goal.com quoted Azpilicueta as saying.
"It is special to have him. Of course, when we don't have him we miss him. After winning the World Cup and now Champions League, he is still so humble as a person. I am so happy for him, he is a massive part of this team and I am very happy to have him next to me for a few years," he added.
The Blues skipper also lauded all the players who were at the sidelines and were not given an opportunity to feature in the playing XI for the summit clash against Manchester City.
"In the dressing room, I know how tough it can be to be left out of the team when we have so much competition in the squad but everyone kept their ego [to one side] and put everything towards the team," Azpilicueta said.
"To me, that's the most satisfying thing about tonight. The guys upfront, like Timo, Mason, Kai, Christian when he came on and the work they did for the team was incredible. They stepped up as a group and as a team, we want to build on that and make special things. We will celebrate for a few nights, or for the summer for the ones that don't have the Euros, I am sure! But then that's gone, we are part of the history for the second time of Chelsea and we got for the next challenge," he added.
Talking about his own personal journey, the Chelsea captain said: "For me to have this moment is incredible and I have a lot of emotions coming through all through this day. We got over the line and I am very, very happy. To win my first trophy as a captain is special."
"I lost three finals but the fourth one was the right one and the big one so I am really happy. I am pleased because a few months ago a lot of people doubted the quality of the team but we did it," he added.