As Eden Hazard will tell you, talent alone is not enough for Jose Mourinho.
This is a coach who demands industry as well as individuality and only the very best (and, by that, we mean Cristiano Ronaldo) are given a free pass in a Mourinho team.
Cast your mind back to May 2014, as Chelsea suffered a 3-1 Champions League semi-final defeat to Atletico Madrid.
For a dishevelled, disappointed Mourinho, the blame lay not with his defence or his misfiring forwards but, instead, at the door of his most naturally talented player.
“He’s not the kind of player to sacrifice himself for the team,” the scowling tactician told the BBC after Hazard proved unwilling, or unable, to track the rampaging Juanfran as Atleti cancelled out Fernando Torres’ opener at Stamford Bridge.
“If you see Atletico’s first goal, you completely understand where the mistake was and why we conceded that goal.”
So while Lucas Vazquez cannot even think about matching his now-Real Madrid teammate when it comes to sheer skill, the Spaniard’s willingness to sacrifice blood, sweat and tears for the cause is exactly what makes him a far better fit for a Mourinho team than the inspirational but often indolent Hazard.
The Mirror (28 July, page 68) reported that the former Los Blancos boss wanted to raid his old employers to bring Vazquez to North London.
Tottenham, Defensa Central adds, were willing to pay £15 million before the academy graduate decided to stay at a club he has represented since 2007.
While Vazquez will not go down in footballing folklore like Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric, his role in three Champions League triumphs cannot be understated.
But a man often undervalued outside the walls of the Bernabeu is adored within; and his Man of the Match performance in Wednesday’s 2-0 win at ten-man Inter Milan shows exactly why.
Vazquez rattled the post with a brilliant long-range effort, set up Rodrygo’s second-half clincher and ran the Inter defence ragged throughout. Whether at right-back or further forward on the wing, Vazquez is a picture of consistency; the sort of reliable, dependable warrior great teams are built upon.
“He always gives everything for us. I have always valued him and what he gives to us on the pitch,” Zidane told Movistar+, via Goal after a result which all-but secures Madrid’s place in the knockout stage.
“Now, he is having the opportunity to show us what he is all about. He was a youth player for us and has Madrid in his heart. I’m happy for him and the team.
“He is an important player and the club knows it. I think it will happen that he will renew (his contract).”
When watching Vazquez track back every opponent, hustle, harry and make a difference at both ends of the pitch, it is hard to imagine a forward better suited to a Mourinho team.
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