Black Stars winger Jeffrey Schlupp has identified former Chelsea star, Eden Hazard, and Lionel Messi as the best and toughest players he has placed against as a full back.
In an exclusive interview with Palace TV, the 27-year-old said:
“We played Barcelona in a pre-season game if that counts – so obviously Lionel Messi. But in the Premier League: Eden Hazard; he’s a special, special player. Until you come up against him you don’t realize: ‘Wow, this guy is special.”
The Palace defender joined in 2017 after winning the Premier League title with Leicester City.
“It was quite quick. It all happened on Friday and I had to do it all before midday to be available for the game the next day. I was there from eight in the morning doing all the tests,” he said of his arrival at Palace.
“I was actually in London on Thursday night watching basketball. I then got the phone call saying I had a medical the next morning so I had to get back to Leicester to get my stuff – I got there at midnight – to then get back to London for the medical. It was quite wild, to be honest. I was buzzing the whole time.”
Schlupp made his Ghana debut against Gabon on 15 November, coming on as a late substitute for Prince Tagoe.