"I honestly don't think so" - Eden Hazard believes he was a bigger football talent than Cristiano Ronaldo while making huge Lionel Messi claim

Eden Hazard has claimed that he was a bigger football talent than Cristiano Ronaldo. He added that Lionel Messi was the only footballer above him and praised the Argentine as the greatest of all time.

Speaking to L'Equipe, Hazard stated that Messi is the only footballer who was better than him in terms of talent. He admitted that Ronaldo was a bigger player, but does not think the Portuguese was more talented.

He said:

"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. Cristiano is a bigger player than me but, in terms of pure football, I honestly don't think so. Neymar, maybe."

Hazard added:

"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."

Eden Hazard took Cristiano Ronaldo's #7 kit at Real Madrid in 2019. However, he could not replicate the heroics as injuries kept him out most of his time at Santiago Bernabeu. He registered seven goals and 12 assists in 76 games for Los Blancos across four seasons.

Eden Hazard unhappy about how he replaced Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid

Eden Hazard was signed as the replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Belgian could not fill the Portuguese star's boots. He claimed that the injuries took a toll on him and that saw his career at Real Madrid come to an uneventful end.

He told L'Equipe:

"I would have liked to do things my way and succeed. This shows that Madrid is bigger than anything else. It's difficult to play there. Maybe I needed to train more. I also had the worst injuries in the worst moments. The operation, the plate... I'm coming back, it hurts, I'm sore. In the second season, Ancelotti arrives. I had good preparation, I play well, but my body, the pain, the injuries..."

Real Madrid and Eden Hazard came to a mutual agreement to terminate his deal at the end of the 2022/23 season. The Belgian went on to announce his retirement after that.