Friday, 11th April, 2014
Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic has named Napoli’s Marek Hamsik and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi as the toughest opponents that he has faced on the field.
Matic originally signed for Chelsea in 2009 from Slovak outfit MFK Kosice, but he failed to pin down a regular starting spot for the Blues and was subsequently sold to Benfica as part of a swap deal for David Luiz in January 2011.
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Jose Mourinho bought Matic back to west London for a deal worth £21m in January 2014 and the Serbian signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with the club.
Among all the good players that he has played against, the 25-year-old has named Hamsik and Messi as the two players he has found it most difficult to deal with on the field.
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“I've played against a lot of good players. I like the way that Marek Hamsik from Napoli plays, he was very difficult to control in the midfield area. I think I also have to say Messi. That's obvious”, the Serbian told the club’s official site.
Since arriving from Benfica in January, Matic has made 12 appearances for the Blues in the Premier League this season. In his earlier stint with Chelsea he had only made two league appearances for the club.
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