Chelsea legend Claude Makelele played alongside some amazing players during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Instantly, the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba all come to mind. Together, they were all able to enjoy huge success at Chelsea.
While at Stamford Bridge, Makelele managed to win two Premier League titles and finished up as a runner-up in the 2008 Champions League final.
Today, Moises Caicedo has been compared to Makelele because of his ability to win the ball back.
Claude Makelele names Joe Cole as best ever teammate
Joe Cole was another talented footballer Makelele got the opportunity to play with, and for the Frenchman, the ex-attacker was actually his best ever teammate.
Makelele explained why on talkSPORT after being asked the question. In response, he said: “Joe Cole because when we played he always wanted to defend. I thought… Joe, stay there.
“Stay there, I will deal with the manager, stay there, because I know the quality he has for dribbling and I know the more he stays there, the more the defender does not come. And more I’m happy. I know I have a lot of work to do, but when I give him the ball… it’s the way he moves.”
Cole proved to be an absolute bargain for Chelsea, winning one more title than Makelele.
The retired England international cost the Blues just £6.6m when he joined from West Ham United in 2003.
In total, Cole went on to make 282 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 39 goals across those many games. As for Makelele, he represented Chelsea on 217 occasions.
Since retiring, Cole has moved into punditry. Cole recently discussed current Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, sharing his desire for the Italian to remain in west London regardless of how the Blues finish this season.
Claude Makelele on the Chelsea star who reminds him of Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben was also an attacker Makelele got to share the pitch with during his Chelsea days, and the former Real Madrid star has compared Cole Palmer to him.
When Makelele spoke about Palmer earlier this month, he said: “He reminds me of Robben. He changed the game every single 10 minutes. He’s unbelievable. He has this quality.”
Palmer certainly carries the same kind of threat that Robben used to. In 35 Premier League outings this season, the attacking midfielder has scored 15 goals and provided eight assists.
Palmer and his Chelsea teammates will be hoping to emulate the likes of Robben, Cole and Makelele one day by becoming Premier League champions themselves.
