Chelsea underachiever tipped to ‘win the Ballon d’Or’ as he’s an inspiration to his country’s stars

Georgiy Sudakov has detailed how he feels compatriot Mykhaylo Mudryk can win the Ballon d’Or, and he and other stars in Ukraine are inspired by the Chelsea forward.

At Stamford Bridge, Mudryk is yet to live up to the expectation on him. That expectation stemmed from an £89million transfer, after two good campaigns with Shakhtar Donetsk.

In the first of those, the attacker was directly involved in nine goals 11 league games.

The following term, Mudryk bagged seven league goals and six assists in 12 games, as well as three goals and two assists in the Champions League.

His returns at Chelsea are so far seven goals and five assists in 62 appearances.

This season, under new manager Enzo Maresca, Mudryk has played just 61 Premier League minutes, though he’s been more active in Europa Conference League qualifying, assisting in one of two starts.

Meagre returns in a third season in a row at Chelsea may suggest that he is not cut out for the Premier League.

But Mudryk’s former teammate, Sudakov, thinks he can go on to huge things.

DON’T MISS: The most expensive Chelsea signings of all time, featuring five Todd Boehly deals

Sudakov tips Mudryk for Ballon d’Or

“Mykhailo is an incredible player, he has no upper limit, and he can win the Ballon d’Or with his qualities, but everything depends only on him,” he told The Guardian.

“I believe he will be able to show his best qualities. Ukraine is an incredibly talented country, and he is a great example for us to follow.”

Mudryk is the most famous exponent of Ukrainian football in recent years, so his inspiration to others in the country is not without reason.

Sudakov himself was tipped for a Premier League move of late, and if players like he and Mudryk perform after moves, the country’s stock in world football will rise.

Sudakov knows Mudryk well

Sudakov has played more football with Mudryk than all but one other player.

As such, after 55 games on the same side, he knows his game very well, and saw it a lot in Ukraine, where the Chelsea man thrived before his move.

But while his quality in his homeland was evident, Mudryk has not hit those same heights in England.

His previous returns, particularly in the Champions League, suggest he has the quality to hit that level, and last season’s seven-goal return showed improvement, but that needs to be much more consistent, and his growth must continue, if he’s to get near Ballon d’Or level.

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Chelsea first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…