Fans of Eden Hazard’s last two clubs share a widely different perspective on his career. While he was merrily adorned with laurels from his tenure at Chelsea, onlookers in Real Madrid eventually abhorred his spell.

After joining Real Madrid in a transfer worth up to €150 million, Hazard struggled to live up to the astronomical price tag with fitness issues, irregularities in playtime and his waning physicality all culminating in a pre-mature retirement.

Having hung up his boots at the age of 32, recent memory may cloud one’s judgment, but before his body started to give up on him, he was cherished as one of football’s great artists.

Speaking in an interview with L’Equipe, the Belgian compared his talents when he was in his heyday to some of the most widely acclaimed footballers of this generation.

Only one superior

When questioned about players superior to him in terms of talent, Hazard heralded the greatest player from Real Madrid’s arch-rival team, Lionel Messi.

“Individually, Messi is perhaps the only one. I enjoyed seeing the one in Barcelona, ​​but less towards the end, but he is the greatest player in history,” he remarked.

Expectedly diverting the attention to Cristiano Ronaldo, he acknowledged the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s superior career but put himself above Cristiano in terms of pure talent.

“Cristiano is a greater player than me but, in terms of pure football, honestly, I don’t think so,” he added.

Naming some of the other elite players in the realm of football who have etched their names in history, Hazard stated:

“Neymar, maybe. Afterward, not better than me but, at Real Madrid, you have the best, also in relation to their career, Benzema, Modrić they were on top, and Kroos, Kevin De Bruyne, they breathe football.”