Eden Hazard: ‘Pure Football’ Lover Snubs Erling Haaland, Names Stars He Enjoys Watching

• Eden Hazard has named the current football stars he enjoys watching
• He named 3 of Manchester City's stars while including Jude Bellingham
• However, the ex-Chelsea forward left Erling Haaland from his exclusive list

Eden Hazard's fixation on the concept of 'pure football' remains a hot topic, with his recent comments shedding light on the type of players he admires.

Just a few weeks ago, the retired Belgian footballer boldly stated that only Lionel Messi surpassed him in terms of what he described as 'pure football.'

Hazard's love for 'pure football'

By making this assertion, he positioned himself ahead of Messi's long-standing rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, although he acknowledged Ronaldo's unparalleled goal-scoring prowess by labelling him as the greatest goal-scorer in history.

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While opinions on the 33-year-old's statement vary, Hazard, known for his technical approach to the game and mesmerising dribbling ability on the ball, has now revealed some of the current players he finds captivating.

Hazard snubs Haaland, names stars he enjoys watching

The Belgian seems to favour players with exceptional technical skills, those who exhibit creativity and flair beyond merely scoring goals.

It's no surprise that he omitted Erling Haaland, the Manchester City striker known for his remarkable goal-scoring ability but often criticised for lacking finesse in his gameplay.

Instead, Hazard highlighted three of Haaland's teammates at the Etihad, along with one rising star predicted to make a significant impact in the future: Jude Bellingham, who has been making waves in La Liga since his move from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid.

"I don't watch football for Erling Haaland, but for players like Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Jude Bellingham, Jack Grealish," he remarked on Mikel Obi's podcast as quoted by Football Tweet.

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Although Haaland may not be widely recognised for his finesse, the Norwegian striker garners immense praise for his extraordinary goal-scoring prowess.

His remarkable achievement of 52 goals in 53 games for the Citizens last season, per Transfermarkt, played a pivotal role in inspiring them to a historic treble, which notably included clinching the elusive Champions League title.

Hazard names 'most talented' footballer who played with

In a Hazard-related story, Sports Brief reported that the ex-Chelsea star has identified the most talented teammate he has played with over the course of his senior career, and it's not any of the renowned names like Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Luka Modric, or Kevin De Bruyne.

Despite sharing the field with numerous top footballers during his stints at Lille, Chelsea, and Real Madrid, Hazard has made an unexpected choice for his most talented teammate.

He named Gael Kakuta as the best young talent he has ever played with, despite the former France youth international experiencing a disappointing spell with the Blues.