I was better than Cristiano Ronaldo in ‘pure football’ – Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard has claimed he was better than Cristiano Ronaldo before acknowledging that Lionel Messi is "the greatest in history."

In June 2019, Hazard made a big money move from Chelsea to Real Madrid, where president Florentino Perez handed him the historic No. 7 shirt.

Hazard was seen as Ronaldo's replacement, the club's all-time leading scorer. However, he fell short of his promise, scoring only seven goals and assisting 12 times throughout his injury-ravaged stay in the Spanish city.

In an interview with L'Equipe, Hazard commented on the long-standing debate between Messi and Ronaldo.

"Individually, Messi is perhaps the only one. 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," said Hazard.

"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: Benzema, Modric, they were the best, Kroos, Kev' (De Bruyne), they all exude football."

Hazard announced his retirement from football at the age of 32 in October 2023 after struggling with injuries at Madrid.