Kevin De Bruyne believes Eden Hazard was on same level as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi & Neymar

The Belgian was seen as one of the best players during his time.

Eden Hazard, according to Manchester City player Kevin De Bruyne, was on par with Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo in his heyday.

After Hazard had taken French football by storm, Chelsea paid £32 million to entice him away from Lille to sign him in 2012. Hazard won multiple individual honours during his ascent, including being the first player who wasn’t French to win Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year. His impact increased even more after he became the youngest recipient of the coveted Ligue 1 Player of the Year award.

Hazard lived up to the anticipation when he arrived at Stamford Bridge. Over the following ten years, he became one of the Premier League’s most exciting players, captivating supporters with his dribbling, inventiveness, and goal-scoring ability. Two Premier League crowns and two Europa Leagues were among the six major trophies he helped the Blues win.

After years of playing at the top level, De Bruyne knows what makes the greats different from the rest. Hazard, in his opinion, was one of the most talented football players of his generation, coming in only behind Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar.

When asked who he thought was the best Belgian player in Premier League history, De Bruyne said. “For me, it has to be Eden. I think, talent-wise, he’s probably like top-five in the world behind Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar. Eden on his day was so, so good. His quality in one-on-one, his dribbling, he never seemed to care, he was just playing football. I played with him since we were both 16 and he’s a really nice guy too.”

After Hazard’s eagerly awaited 2019 transfer to Real Madrid, his career took a turn for the worse. He was unable to duplicate the form that made him a superstar in England due to a string of ailments. He made just 76 appearances in four seasons before being cut loose by the Spanish powerhouses in 2023.

The Belgian finally made the decision to put up his boots, ending what had previously been a brilliant footballing journey, despite attempts to revitalize his career.

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