Former Barcelona forward Samuel Eto’o has made a huge claim by saying Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard is “on the same level” as Argentine superstar Lionel Messi.
Samuel Eto’o played alongside Messi for five years and both players spearheaded Barcelona to a historic treble in the 2008/09 season.
Eto’o has often spoken of his love for Lionel Messi and even insisted Barcelona would need to change their name if he left the club this summer.
The Argentine enjoyed another outstanding season at the Nou Camp last campaign, scoring 30 goals and providing 26 assists in 43 matches across all competitions.
Meanwhile, Hazard has struggled to live up to expectations since joining Real Madrid from Chelsea last summer for a fee which is reported to be around £150million including add-ons.
The Belgium international has scored only one goal and assisted six times in 22 Los Blancos games and struggled with injuries throughout the season.
However, Eto’o still made the claim that Eden Hazard is “is on the same level as Messi” while speaking at the official presentation for the 2020/21 La Liga campaign, per AS .
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He added: “Messi is like my son. He has stayed and so I’m happy. But the heart of this team needs more Barcelona-style players, players who are tiki-taka, not box to box.”
Eto’o also tipped Sergio Busquets to return to his best and help the Catalans a regain the La Liga crown, and spoke of his desire to see former team Mallorca return to Spain’s top flight.
“Barcelona is going to be the next league champion, but I want Mallorca, the team of my heart, to return to the top tier,” he said.
“[I would like] to see a great (Sergio) Busquets at his best level again,” Eto’o added. “When he is, Barcelona always win titles.”
