‘People think I am the Lionel Messi of Chelsea. You can feel it’

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Chelsea star Kai Havertz has opened on his £72million transfer to Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020, claiming: “People think you are Lionel Messi.”

Havertz has become a Champions League winner at Chelsea while recording 32 goals and 15 assists across all competitions, but he made a slow start to life at Stamford Bridge.

The Germany international admits that his price tag was a burden as it created an immediate pressure to perform.

Havertz told The Guardian: “For me the price was a big thing. I was Chelsea’s most expensive player. I don’t understand how so much money is paid but it is normal in football: look at our recent transfers. That brings pressure because people think you are Messi.

“I was still 20, 21. People don’t see that; they see the price so you have to be great from day one. You can feel it, the tension. You read it, hear it. I came during Covid.”

Havertz added on how he deals with the weight of expectations: “You have to be stable. If you’re playing badly, it doesn’t make you the worst person on earth and the highs aren’t real.

“Everything moves fast: the last few months is a good example. Everyone’s upset with me, I don’t score, I play rubbish, this is bad, that’s bad, they have to sell me. Now I score and everyone says I am the best player. People love me now but maybe in two weeks they hate me again. No matter how well I played, I come home and my girlfriend wants me to put the plates into the dishwasher.”