EDEN HAZARD believes that Lionel Messi is the world’s greatest ever footballer.
The Belgian, 33, hung up his boots back in October.
Hazard enjoyed seven sensational seasons at Chelsea after moving from Lille in 2012.
He then struggled during an injury-hit four-year stint at Real Madrid.
Despite having offers to prolong his career, Hazard opted to call it a day.
Chatting with French paper L’Equipe, the attacker reflected on which players might have been better than him – and did not say Cristiano Ronaldo.
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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.
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“After that, he’s no better than me, but at Real, you’ve got the best, also in terms of their careers: (Karim) Benzema, (Luka) Modric, they were the best, (Toni) Kroos, Kev (De Bruyne), they all exude football.”
Messi and Ronaldo have both played more games, scored more goals and laid on more assists than Hazard did during his brilliant career.
The Argentine has scored 821 goals in 1,033 games for club and country – while his next assist will be the 400th of his career.
Ronaldo, who turns 39 on Monday, has netted 867 times in 1,198 games – including a remarkable 450 in just 438 outings for Real Madrid.
The Portuguese has also laid on 282 assists.
Messi has won a record eight Ballons d’Or, while Ronaldo has five.
They have won nine Champions Leagues between them, in addition to numerous league titles.
The Argentine also inspired his side to World Cup glory, while Ronaldo won Euro 2016.
Hazard, meanwhile, scored 200 goals and laid on 193 assists in 748 games across his career.
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He inspired Lille to a stunning Ligue 1 and Coupe de France double, before winning two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups and a pair of Europa Leagues at Chelsea.
The diminutive star struggled at Real Madrid, scoring just seven goals in 76 outings for them – but he did pick up two LaLiga winners medals as well as the Champions League during his stint at Santiago Bernabeu.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
