Former Chelsea and Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard has retired from international football. The former Chelsea legend has played against Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and has donned the No.10 and No.7 for the different clubs he has played for. The pacy winger's career was dropped short after his move to La Liga due to injuries as he played 54 games in the four seasons with the club scoring only four goals.
The simmering rivalry between Eden Hazard and Cristiano Ronaldo shows no signs of diminishing, with the former Chelsea and Real Madrid forward publicly expressing his preference for Lionel Messi. Hazard, who hanged his boots from professional football at the age of 32, reportedly compared himself to the Portuguese legend, claiming dominance in "pure football." Despite his unsuccessful spell in Madrid, which resulted in his release and retirement in 2023, the winger remains a fan of Messi's football skill and recognises Ronaldo's goal-scoring prowess.
Both Messi and Ronaldo have shared the footballing stage for 16 long years and this has been arguably the best encounter that the fans have ever seen or will be witnessing any further after they retire from the game. The 32-year-old Belgian has dropped a shocking comment about the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate of who is the best. The winger believes his former coach Zinedine Zidane is the best and neither of the mentioned above.
For me, Messi is the one if you talk about football: Eden Hazard
Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, Hazard shared his perspective on the GOAT discussion, stating, "For me, Messi is the one if you talk about football. But then people 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."
Zidane has been a marvellous midfielder of his generation and one of the most skilful players as well. The former World Cup winner's career ended on a bad note in 2006 when he headbutted Marco Matterazzi in the final of the FIFA World Cup, eventually losing to Italy in the final.