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Eden Hazard's quotes on the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate have resurfaced online. The Real Madrid star claimed the two greats were not at the same level and put his weight behind the Argentine.
The Messi vs Ronaldo debate has been a hot topic in most interviews with footballers and managers for over a decade. There is no proper conclusion to it as both players have enough backing in the world of football, and that seems to continue to this day.
In 2019, HLN quizzed Hazard on the debate. He claimed Lionel Messi was ahead of the Portuguese star and said:
"Two GOATs (Greatest of All Time) you say? No way. There is only one GOAT: Him, Lionel Messi!"
He spoke about playing against Barcelona in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League knockouts while he was with Chelsea. Messi scored in both legs, including a brace at the Camp Nou, as his side ran out 4-1 winners on aggregate. Hazard recounted the experience and said:
"Those two games against Barcelona were not my best memories of 2018. I was happy to play against Barcelona and Messi, but I didn't deliver what I expected. I was disillusioned."
He added:
"My three sons were there for the home match at Stamford Bridge. The eldest is a big Messi fan - all of us are Messi fans, actually. He wanted to see Messi that day because Messi is a special player."
Eden Hazard could have been as good as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
John Obi Mikel has claimed that Eden Hazard had all the talent to challenge Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo but was not training hard enough.
When the former Chelsea midfielder spoke with The Athletic, he said:
"I've always said that one of the players who was the most gifted, had everything — pace, power, skill, technique — is Eden Hazard. He was just behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. But it was only if he wanted to be. He was that good."
Mikel added:
"He said it himself sometimes, 'If I want to be as good, I can be as good. Not as good as Messi because he is from a different planet but I think I can get close to Ronaldo or maybe even better'. These are the words that came out of his mouth but he is not that dedicated to the game. He doesn't train well, he is the worst trainer I've played with."
Hazard is now at Real Madrid, while Messi has moved to PSG. Cristiano Ronaldo is back at Manchester United.
