Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards is backing Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic to be "as good as Eden Hazard" following the Blues' 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday evening.
In the first-leg of their highly anticipated semi-final showdown, the two European giants played out an entertaining stalemate, meaning it is all to play for ahead of next Wednesday evening's return-leg at Stamford Bridge.
Although the scoreline may be level at kick-off, Chelsea do have a slender advantage in the tie thanks to Pulisic's 14th minute opener at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium, ensuring the Blues grabbed an all-important away-goal.
After latching onto Antonio Rudiger's long ball over the top, Pulisic showed tremendous levels of calmness and composure to keep his cool, go round Thibaut Courtois in the Madrid goal and fire the ball past two defenders and into the back of the net.
It was a moment of individual brilliance from the former Borussia Dortmund winger and one that saw him race over to head coach Thomas Tuchel on the touchline to celebrate.
Whilst his sixth goal of the season will be what everybody remembers about Pulisic's performance against Zinedine Zidane's side, it was his overall showing that made for impressive viewing. He struck fear into Madrid's defenders in the opening stages of the contest, running them ragged all over the shop.
It was the kind of performance that has started to become a lot more familiar in recent weeks, with Pulisic now starting to discover a sense of consistency after a stop-start season on the injury front.
Now that he has reached top gear again, former City man Richards has waxed lyrical about his talents, backing him to become just as good as former Blues star Hazard.
"He’s a big-game player and it is just about keeping him fit," Richards told CBS Sports.
"The manager clearly trusts him and I think he can be as good as Eden Hazard, that’s how much I believe in his ability."
Interestingly, Richards was not the only former England international to draw comparisons between Pulisic and Hazard following the full-time whistle on Tuesday evening, with former Blues ace Joe Cole also heaping praise on the USA ace and comparing him to Madrid's No.7.
"I love Pulisic. At the back end of last season, he was Chelsea’s best player by a mile," Cole told BT Sport. "He looked like Eden Hazard, he could go both ways and score goals but the injuries have cost him.
"I’ve felt a little bit of a chink in his armour with his mentality. A player of his quality shouldn’t go as long as he has without having an affect on the game, I don’t know why that is.
"He’s a young man, he’s in a new country and I think he’s going to be a massive player for Chelsea.
"He’s well liked and respected in the dressing room. The club loves the fact that he’s a gem and he’s a marketing rise in America, he’s a God, but as a player, he more than holds his own. I think he’s terrific."
