Former Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz has lauded Claude Makelele, who he played with at Stamford Bridge, and feels the ex-midfielder ate opponents up.
Chelsea swooped to land Makelele from Real Madrid in the summer of 2003, paying the Spaniards a fee of £16.8m to take him to the Premier League.
Makelele quickly became a key man at Stamford Bridge, completing five seasons at Chelsea and picking up two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and two League Cups.
Boulahrouz played with Makelele at Chelsea and has no hesitation in including him in his top team, explaining that he simply ate up opposing players after narrowing the space on the pitch.
"Makelele is a boy who always smiles", he told Dutch daily the Algemeen Dagblad.
"When you encounter him in everyday life, you don't expect what kind of a beast he is.
"He narrowed the space and then ate you.
"He won almost all his duels. Claude was one of the best players in his position.
"I think he is the example of an ideal number 6."
Makelele made 217 appearances for Chelsea during his time at the club, scoring twice.
The former France international is currently at Stamford Bridge, working as a technical mentor to young talents, as well as providing a link between the club and players out on loan.
