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Legendary Chelsea defender John Terry once claimed that Eden Hazard was right up there with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The former England international also insisted at the time that Hazard could get even better.
In 2015, Terry claimed that Hazard was Chelsea's best player by some distance as the Blues won the Premier League. He hailed the Belgian for his ability to produce moments of magic. The former England skipper said, as quoted by GiveMeSport:
"He was excellent. He has been our best player by a long way this year and in those games when you are looking for a bit of extra, a bit of magic from someone he is the one who steps up and managed to create something. He is up there with the (Lionel) Messi's and (Cristiano) Ronaldo's and can still get better and better."
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Hazard certainly had the world at his feet during his seven-year stint at Chelsea, establishing himself as one of the best players in the Premier League. He helped the Blues win six trophies, including two Premier League titles.
He made 352 appearances for the west London club scoring 110 goals and producing 85 assists. However, he failed to live up to the expectations at Real Madrid and retired at the age of just 32.
Throughout his career, Hazard was often compared to the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, despite his undisputed quality, he could never really reach the levels of the two superstars who have won 13 Ballon d'Ors between them.
Chelsea winger makes Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo decision as he ranks the top 3 ‘greatest’ athletes in history
Chelsea and Portugal winger Pedro Neto has omitted Cristiano Ronaldo while naming the three best athletes of all time. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers winger placed Lionel Messi first (via Albiceleste Talk on X).
The 25-year-old put basketball icon Michael Jordan in second and golf legend Tiger Woods in third place. Neto's list is particularly interesting considering he is Portuguese and plays alongside Ronaldo in the national team.
In terms of fitness and consistency over the years, very few athletes can match Ronaldo. Even at the age of 40, he remains in exceptional shape and has scored 32 goals in 35 appearances for Al-Nassr this season.
Ronaldo's eternal rival Messi is also still playing at the highest level at the age of 37. He is on the books of Inter Miami is MLS now and has eight goals and three assists in nine games this season.
