Eden Hazard stirred up Real Madrid fans by claiming he was a better ‘pure footballer’ than Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, the Chelsea legend settled a common Premier League debate by acknowledging that Liverpool icon Mohamed Salah is “by far” in a different class to him.
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Hazard moved to the Bernabeu from Stamford Bridge for £130 million, making him one of the most expensive footballers ever. Unfortunately, his time with Los Blancos was largely underwhelming. ..Continue Reading
His four-year stint in Spain was marred by injuries and poor performances, while Ronaldo was setting records with Real Madrid.
The Belgian winger, who turned 34 on January 7, retired from football last year after his contract with Real expired.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo, who will turn 40 next month, continues to play as the face of football in Saudi Arabia. Despite this, Hazard insists he has an edge over Ronaldo.
In an interview with French newspaper L’Equipe, Hazard was quoted saying, “Cristiano is a greater player than me but, in terms of pure football, honestly, I don’t think so.”
This bold claim is noteworthy, given that many consider Cristiano to be the greatest footballer of all time, whether pure or not.
Debates about this generation’s best player often revolve around Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, with the Argentinian World Cup-winner seen as the favorite by many.
Hazard’s remark about purity likely refers to individual entertainment value rather than success and silverware.
Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Or awards – second only to Messi (eight) – and claimed seven titles in the top leagues of English, Spanish, and Italian football, while Hazard has won only four.
Although some fans thought Hazard’s ego was inflated and he believed no one was above him, that wasn’t the case. In an interview with SPORTbible, he admitted who was better between himself and Salah.
“Mo Salah, by far… He was good already [before joining Chelsea], you know, but that good? We played when he was playing in Basel. So we played Champions League the year before and then we were like, ‘Wow.’
“And then we bought him like, ‘Yeah, we have to. We have to buy this guy because this guy is so good. And then, you know, in football you have ups and downs and then what he did with Liverpool is like, ‘Wow’.”
Hazard’s impressive tally of 202 direct goal contributions in 352 appearances for Chelsea is a testament to his skill. During his seven seasons in west London, the maestro played a crucial role in ushering in a successful era for the club.
