“For me he is the one” - When ex-Chelsea star Eden Hazard explained his choice in the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo ‘GOAT’ debate
Eden Hazard has picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT debate. However, the Chelsea legend believes Zinedine Zidane is the greatest of all time.
Speaking to John Obi Mikel on his Obi One podcast earlier this year, Hazard stated that Ronaldo is a great goalscorer, but Messi is better in his opinion. He added that the Portuguese could still be scoring goals when he turns 50 but believes the Argentine is better overall.
Hazard said:
"For me he [Messi] is the one. Messi is the one if you talk about football. But then people they have different opinions on that, Ronaldo is the GOAT to score goals and to bring trophies to the team. This guy wow, look at him now he is 39 and will score goals until he is 50, believe me. Me, I am more my style of play is Messi, but for me the greatest is Zidane."
Messi and Ronaldo are two of the modern-day greats and share 13 Ballon d'or awards between themselves. They took the game of football to a new level during their time in the LaLiga, representing Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Eden Hazard has retired from football after terminating his contract at Real Madrid. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continue to dominate their leagues but have moved away from Europe. While the Portuguese icon currently plies trade for the Saudi Premier League club Al Nassr, the Argentine legend represents Inter Miami in the MLS.
Eden Hazard claimed he was better than Cristiano Ronaldo but not Lionel Messi
Eden Hazard spoke to L'Equipe and claimed that Lionel Messi was the only player better than him. The Chelsea legend added he was better than Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of pure football ability, but the Portuguese was the bigger name.
He told in an interview earlier this year:
"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. 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."
Hazard has 167 goals and 150 assists at the club level, while the Belgian has netted 33 goals in 126 games at the senior level.
Lionel Messi has helped Inter Miami win silverware in both his seasons at the MLS club. The Argentine helped them win the Leagues Cup last year and has now played a key role in their MLS Supports' Shield glory.
Cristiano Ronaldo is still pushing Al Nassr to get their hands on the Saudi Pro League trophy. However, Al Hilal have beaten them in both seasons since the Portuguese moved to the Middle East after mutually terminating his contract with Manchester United.