Eden Hazard has weighed in on the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo GOAT discussion, potentially upsetting fans of the former Manchester United and Real Madrid icon.
Previously considered the third-best player in the world, trailing only Messi and Ronaldo, Hazard made a high-profile £89 million move to Real Madrid in 2019, a year after Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus.
- Mason Greenwood’s response to Jude Bellingham’s alleged ‘rapist’ remark
- Lip-reader reveals exact vile insult Bellingham aimed at Mason Greenwood
- Lionel Messi has named his 10 favourite teammates in his career
However, Hazard’s time at the Bernabeu fell short of expectations, with only seven goals in 76 appearances across four injury-plagued seasons in Spanish football.
Despite his challenging stint, the recently retired Hazard has asserted that he was technically a superior player to Ronaldo, who achieved a remarkable 450 goals in just 438 games for Real Madrid.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Hazard shared his perspective on the ongoing Messi and Ronaldo debate.
“Individually, Messi is perhaps the only one,” said Hazard.
“I loved watching the Barcelona player, less so at the end, but he’s the greatest in history.
“It’s impossible to take the ball away from him. 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: [Karim] Benzema, [Luka] Modric, they were the best, [Toni] Kroos, Kevin [De Bruyne], they all exude football.”
Even as Messi and Ronaldo continue their professional journeys with Inter Miami and Al Nassr, respectively, Hazard declared his retirement from football at the age of 32 in October.
Hazard has refuted suggestions that he could have extended his career by adopting the same rigorous fitness regimen as Ronaldo.
“No. It wouldn’t have been me,” Hazard added.
“After training, soaking in the cold bath for an hour, no. Leave me alone, with my friends, we go home, play cards, have a beer.
“I play for two hours with my friends. Children in the garden. It was my recovery. If I had been like Cristiano, I would have been burned out.”
