The German says he is well aware he did not play his “best football” in the first months of his debut season at Stamford Bridge.
Kai Havertz admitted feeling the pressure early in his Chelsea career, saying Blues fans expected him to be “the new Cristiano Ronaldo”. Chelsea invested € 100m, including bonuses, in the talents of the German international last summer, having seen him emerge as one of the best young players of his generation at Bayer Leverkusen, following an end to the season 2019-2020 canon.
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The 22-year-old struggled to uphold that reputation during his first months at Stamford Bridge, and has now opened up about his frustrations while with the Germany national team at the European Championship . “People expect you to be the new Cristiano Ronaldo”, declared Havertz to Suddeutsche Zeitung. “But it won’t be that fast, everything is new and I really didn’t play my best football at the start ”.
“I felt a completely different pressure than before at Bayer Leverkusen“, Added the German. Kai Havertz gradually started showing his best form at Chelsea following the appointment of compatriot Thomas Tuchel as the club’s new manager in January, and he was trusted to debut in the starting XI in the League final. champions against Manchester City last month.
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The forward rewarded his manager’s confidence by scoring the winning goal at the Estadio Do Dragao, which he sees as a pivotal moment in his overall development as a player. “I’m happy to have been able to end the season with this goal in the Champions League final“, Added Havertz. “The goal was important for the history of the club, but it was important for me to have also done very well personally. ”
France, Trezeguet: “Germany, a first final”
Kai Havertz has logically secured a place in Joachim Löw’s German squad for Euro 2020 after proving himself at Chelsea towards the end of the 2020-21 campaign, and is currently preparing with the rest of the squad for their game. opening of Group F against France, world champion. The former Leverkusen star said winning the Champions League gave him extra confidence for the tournament.
Nonetheless, he conceded that it won’t mean as much as if Germany fail to fight for a trophy on the international stage. “We are with the national team, we have different processes and different goals here“Havertz said. “Of course, this title pushes me and gives me a lot of self-confidence, but there is no point in feeling like a Champions League winner if you miss the European Championship afterwards”.
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