Eden Hazard: I was better than Cristiano Ronaldo, but the best in history is Lionel Messi. Real Madrid is a boastful club

Just a few years ago, he was one of the biggest stars in world football and had the potential to one day fight for the Ballon d’Or. But now career of Eden Hazard is over. As of October 2023, at the age of 33. So the former Belgian footballer can only look back on what could or could not have been done better, and assess what was. In a recent interview, he made some bold statements.

Real Madrid is a boastful club

It was July 2019. Real Madrid took the bait and acquired one of the best footballers in the world for over €100 million. That’s when Eden Hazard arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu from Chelsea. He was immediately given the number 7 jersey. He was expected to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo and be the driving force.

But that never happened. His health was a concern, his allegedly poor health was often addressed and his performances were not ideal. He left the club in the summer of 2023, retiring a little later. At the age of 33.

In four years he played 76 games for Real Madrid with a record of 7 goals scored and 12 assists. What a difference against his stint at Chelsea, where he played almost continuously and was still in breathtaking form.

In an interview with L’Equipe, he was asked if, in retrospect, he himself regrets the transfer. “Real Madrid is special. It’s a bit of a boastful club, which is not my nature. I didn’t like the way they play compared to other clubs, but it was my dream,” Hazard replied.

“I couldn’t end my career without playing for Real Madrid. They want to fight for all the trophies, which shows they are a bigger club than any other. Maybe I needed to train more, I also had bad injuries. I lost my place, then my confidence, then my desire,” he added.

He is more sorry about the whole situation than regretting it. He doesn’t know the answer to why it didn’t work out. However, he mentioned in an interview that his body just gave out. He’s mostly sorry for the fans. They were excited when he came in. But he never lived up to their expectations.

I was better than Ronaldo, says Eden Hazard

Outside of the topic regarding Real Madrid, there was also a debate in an interview with a French publication about whether Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo was better. In this respect, Eden Hazard didn’t have to think too long about the answer.

Lionel Messi is, in fact, the only player who had more talent than him, according to him. “I loved watching the Barcelona players. Less so towards the end of my career. Messi is the best player in history. It’s impossible to take the ball away from him,” the former Chelsea ace is clear.

“Cristiano Ronaldo may be a bigger player than me, but in terms of pure footballing qualities, I think I was better than him. Maybe even Neymar had more talent than me. But then I don’t think there was anyone better,” the now former outstanding footballer concluded the topic.

Source: L’Equipe, Transfermarkt