Chelsea legend Cesar Azpilicueta shares his three toughest opponents in history, they all played for the Blues

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As far as leaders go in recent Chelsea history, very few are comparable to the impact had by Cesar Azpilicueta.

Signed for just £7m straight after their Champions League triumph in 2012, the Spaniard is looked at as one of the biggest bargains in the club’s history.

Roberto di Matteo personally pushed to sign Azpilicueta, and it didn’t take him long to force himself into a regular full-back role alongside the likes of Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic.

Azpilicueta won everything on offer in his decade-plus time in West London, establishing himself as a club legend in the process.

Cesar Azpilicueta names Eden Hazard, Didier Drogba and Diego Costa as his toughest opponents

Playing at the top level of European football for more than 10 years means the Spaniard has faced the best attackers in world football.

However, when asked by ESPN, it was three former Chelsea players who sprung to mind when discussing his toughest opponents.

He said: “One that comes out quickly is Eden Hazard because he was my teammate for a long time, but when I was in Marseille we played against Lille, and I remember at half-time against him.

“Didier Drogba, he was playing for Galatasaray when I was at Chelsea and he was quite a tough striker.

“Diego Costa, I would say the third one, which you know, three that I played with them and against them, you know I could know how they were as a teammate and also as opponents, and they were great battles.”

Azpilicueta is certainly not the only former Blue who has been full of praise for Hazard. David Luiz recently compared the Belgian to current star Cole Palmer.

How is Cesar Azpilicueta doing since leaving Chelsea?

Azpilicueta’s time at Stamford Bridge came to an end in 2023, with him making the move to Atletico Madrid at the expiration of his contract.

The Spaniard played the majority of games in his first season under Diego Simeone, however has only featured in seven La Liga matches so far this campaign.

This season has seen him become teammates again with Conor Gallagher, after he left Chelsea in the summer.

It has been reported that Azpilicueta was helping Gallagher in training straight after he joined, as the England international got to speed with the language.