Real Madrid flop claims he was better than Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the greatest player in Real Madrid history. The Portuguese superstar won everything that was there to win during his time at Santiago Bernabeu. Individually, he won the Ballon d'Or on five occasions as well, a feat only bettered by Lionel Messi. But were there better players than him in terms of talent?

This has been a topic of discussion in footballing circles for a long time now. While Ronaldo's success cannot be denied, there are many who feel that his game was based on efficiency instead of entertainment.

In many ways, this debate will always come down to personal preference. What do you value more as a fan, winning or being entertained? There is no wrong answer.

It looks like Eden Hazard appears to believe that he was better than Ronaldo in terms of 'pure football'. As reported by GOAL, the former Real Madrid player said in an interview with L'Equipe:

"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."

Real Madrid flop claims he was better than Ronaldo

Of course, Real Madrid fans will not have many great memories of Hazard's time at the club. He joined in the summer of 2019 amid high expectations. After an iconic stint at Chelsea, this was viewed as the next step in his career, which would see him become a regular contender for the Ballon d'Or.

Instead, we never got to see the best of Hazard over his four years at Real Madrid. He continuously struggled with fitness issues and ultimately lost his place in the team.

Hazard would leave Real Madrid last summer and ended up announcing his retirement from the game soon afterwards. It was not a happy ending for one of the biggest talents in football history.

While Hazard might not have done much at Real Madrid, he was exceptional while at Lille and Chelsea, and also for the Belgium national team. Did he have a better career than Ronaldo? Absolutely not. Was he more entertaining to watch at the peak of his powers? Perhaps.