Eden Hazard compares himself to Messi, says talent-wise he was better than Ronaldo: “Individually only Leo”

Barcelona fans definitely let out a collective sigh of relief when Cristiano Ronaldo announced his decision to leave Real Madrid in 2018 after winning three Champions Leagues in a row with Real Madrid.

His rivalry with Lionel Messi fueled the fire in both players for more than a decade, and while it definitely continued beyond just their time in La Liga, Barcelona were also focused on whoever Madrid were going to sign as his replacement.

This is when they chose Eden Hazard from Chelsea. While far from the goalscoring freak Ronaldo was, the Belgian was inarguably one of the most talented players of this generation, and was bound for big things.

Unfortunately for him, his Madrid tenure did not quite pan out as expected, with injuries plaguing his career. Eventually, he decided to call his time on the sport, retiring in 2023.

While he ended his time at Madrid on a low, Hazard still believes he is one of the talented players of all time. And probably rightly so.

When asked whether he thought there are better players than him in terms of pure talent, he said, “Individually, Leo [Messi] is perhaps the only one.”

“I enjoyed watching his time at Barcelona, less towards the end. But he is the greatest player in history. Unplayable, impossible to take the ball from him, he’s just unbelievable.”

Hazard also had his opinions about the man he was replacing at the Santiago Bernabeu, Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Cristiano is a bigger player than me, but in terms of pure football, honestly, I don’t think so.”

He added, “Neymar, maybe. Afterwards, not better than me, but at Real Madrid, you have the best, also in relation to their career. Benzema, Modric, they were on top, and Kroos, Kevin de Bruyne, they breathe football.”

Source: L’Equipe