Chelsea legend Eden Hazard announced his retirement from professional football last October.
Eden Hazard disagrees with Cristiano Ronaldo’s assessment of the Saudi Pro League and Ligue 1 (Image: YouTube: The Obi One Podcast / Getty)
Eden Hazard has addressed Cristiano Ronaldo’s take on the Saudi Pro League, as well as turning up for pre-season overweight at Real Madrid in a tell-all discussion with the Belgian’s former Chelsea team-mate, John Obi Mikel.
Hazard and Mikel spent five years together at Stamford Bridge, with the latter departing for China in 2017 and the former heading to Madrid two years later. Hazard’s spell in the Spanish capital was hugely disappointing as he managed just 54 league appearances in four seasons.
The wide man had previously established himself as one of the best wingers in Europe during spells with Lille and Chelsea. Hazard cut his teeth in Ligue 1, a division which now trails behind the Saudi Pro League according to Al-Nassr star Ronaldo.
On that topic, Hazard told The Obi One Podcast. “I’m not agreeing with him but that’s just an opinion. If you look at the league in Saudi Arabia, they have big players, it’s just that they’re not big teams.
Eden Hazard managed only four La Liga goals for Real Madrid (Image: Getty)
“In France, maybe now they have fewer big players, but they have big teams. I’m sure if a Ligue 1 team played against a Saudi Arabian team, they would win. Maybe not easily, like people might think, but the level in France is good. I’m watching their league and they have talent.”
Hazard’s four mesmerising campaigns at Lille were followed by seven more at Stamford Bridge. He picked up two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, a Carabao Cup and two Europa League crowns before moving on to the Bernabeu in an £88.5million deal.
“[The body transformation] was true,” explained the Belgian. “But me, every summer I was putting on four or five kilos because I was thinking you give so much for 10 months, you put your body at the highest level and people kick you, so your time off is your time off. Don’t ask me to do anything.
“I enjoy being with my family, going to the beach, so don’t ask me to run in those three or four weeks. I can play football on the beach with my kids, no problem, but don’t ask me to run. But if you look throughout my career, the first month [of the season] is the bit where I was thinking it’s just the beginning, and then from September and October I was flying, because I needed time to put my body and mind in the best way.
“So yes, it’s true, I came back after holidays with five kilos, I knew it. As a Belgian guy, we love beers because my country has the best beers in the world, so I’m not telling you I used to drink every day because it’s not true, but sometimes after a good game, one or two is nice.”
