Noni Madueke is not a popular figure for Chelsea fans right now, however he has admitted that he grew up idolising one of the club’s best ever players.
Blues supporters took the chance to mock Madueke after Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to PSG, with him unpopular after leaving the club 12 months ago.
Madueke was involved in a heated clash with Enzo Fernandez in his first game back at Stamford Bridge, with it seeming there was bad blood between the players too.
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Noni Madueke idolised Chelsea legend growing up
In the winger’s time at Chelsea, he played under a number of different managers, including a brief stint working with Frank Lampard on an interim basis.
It was surprising the club legend couldn’t spark more of a turnaround when he took over, winning just one of the Premier League games he was in charge for.
However, he is still thought of very highly by the England international, with Madueke naming Lampard as one of his idols growing up in a TikTok on the England account.
It is not just the winger who has long-term respect for Lampard despite leaving the club. Mason Mount recently named Lampard as the best midfielder he had ever seen.
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What Lampard said about Madueke when at Chelsea
During a horror spell for the Blues where they finished in the bottom half of the table in 2023, Lampard picked out Madueke for praise in a tough moment.
He told the Chelsea website: “There’s certainly talent in the building. I think Noni’s a good example of an individual that in the first week of training was a clear talent but I wanted to see a bit more.
“I had that conversation with him and he showed me more and he’s come into the games and showed me his personality as much as his talent, to come in, in a tough moment, take the ball and show glimpses of his talent.”
Two years later, he had departed Stamford Bridge, and has quickly played his part in a Premier League title-winning side at the Emirates.
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