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Arsenal and Germany forward Kai Havertz had once opened up on his struggles at Chelsea, asserting that the Blues supporters expected him to be the next Cristiano Ronaldo.
Havertz, who left Chelsea to join Arsenal in a potential £65 million transfer in 2023, moved to the Blues in the summer of 2020. He joined his former club after a stellar couple of campaigns at Bayer Leverkusen.
After joining Chelsea for an initial fee of £72 million, the German endured a difficult maiden season in London. He started 29 of his 45 total appearances for the Blues, contributing just nine goals and six assists.
During a chat with German outlet Suddeutsche Zeitung in 2021, Havertz revealed how Chelsea fans had hoped he would perform like Ronaldo. He said (h/t GOAL):
"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. I felt a completely different pressure than before in Leverkusen."
Since leaving Chelsea last summer, Havertz has been in fine form for Arsenal. The 25-year-old has found the back of the opposition net 20 times and registered eight assists in 61 total appearances for his club.
Cristiano Ronaldo hailed by Poland star
Ahead of Poland's UEFA Nations League encounter against Portugal on Saturday, Barcelona superstar Robert Lewandowski showered praise on Cristiano Ronaldo. He said (h/t Barca Universal):
"He has written many pages of history and has always raised the bar for everyone around him, and this is something that cannot be overlooked. Although he has achieved everything or almost everything, and he is 39 years old and approaching 40, it is clear that he has ambition, as he gets angry and nervous."
The 36-year-old striker continued to praise the Portuguese, saying:
"I think if he didn't have that anger, he might have looked like he was just playing for the sake of playing. But he clearly still has the desire, and he looks physically in very good shape, which shows that the path he chose was successful. Regardless of age, his numbers keep going up and not the other way around. Of course, he is an exception and there are very few exceptions like him."
Ronaldo, who will turn 40 next February, has opened the 2024-25 season on a fine note. He has bagged eight goals and provided three assists in nine total games for Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr so far.
Lewandowski, on the other hand, has recorded 12 goals and two assists in just 11 matches across all competitions for Barcelona this season.
