Former Chelsea player Eden Hazard was one of the best talents the Premier League has ever seen. During his time at Chelsea, to say that he was mesmerizing would have been an understatement. On his day, the Belgian was almost unplayable, as he could glide past entire defenses and score.
Eden Hazard retired in October 2023, following a contract termination with Real Madrid in June. Recently, he spoke his mind on football and all-time greats including Messi and Ronaldo, postion9ing himself over the Portuguese in terms of footballing gifts.
Eden Hazard believes to be superior to Cristiano Ronaldo
In his exclusive interview with L’equipe, Eden Hazard went on to make the bizarre claim of him being better than Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of “pure football”.
Hazard said, “Cristiano is a bigger player than me but, in terms of pure football, I honestly don’t think so. Neymar, maybe. After that, he’s no better than me, but at Real, you’ve got the best, also in terms of their careers: Benzema, Modric, they were the best, Kroos, Kev’ (De Bruyne), they all exude football.”
After his transfer from Chelsea to Real Madrid in 2019 for a fee rising to a staggering £142m, Hazard never lived up to his billing, as he managed only 19 goal contributions in 76 games over 4 years. At the Spanish capital he constantly struggled with fitness issues, with fans often calling him overweight and unfit.
He also struggled with injury problems, especially a recurring ankle injury. His lack of performances and poor fitness resulted in his contract termination with Real Madrid and Hazard shortly retired at 32.
In contrast, Ronaldo has often been a beacon for physical health and fitness, which has seen him play for clubs like Juventus and Manchester United in his late 30s. His time at Real Madrid was incredible, as he managed 581 goal contributions in 438 games, and won 15 trophies, including the famous “UCL-3peat” under Zinedine Zidane. Ronaldo is currently dominating the Saudi Pro League at the age of 38.
Eden Hazard lauds Lionel Messi
Eden Hazard also weighed in on the brilliance of Lionel Messi, whom he called the greatest of all time.
Hazard explained, “Messi is perhaps the only one. I enjoyed seeing him in Barcelona, less towards the end but he’s the greatest in history. He was unplayable, impossible to take the ball from him.”
Messi is currently playing for Inter Miami since moving there in 2023 following an exit from PSG after winning the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Inter Miami recently lost 6-0 to Al Nassr, in a friendly, in which Messi came on as a late substitute.
What do you make of Eden Hazard’s opinions? Let us know us in the comments below!
