Wayne Rooney Agrees With Eden Hazard That Ex Chelsea Star Was ‘Better’ Than Cristiano Ronaldo

• Wayne Rooney believes Eden Hazard was better than Cristiano Ronaldo
• Hazard had earlier stated that Leo Messi was the only one better than him
• By doing so, the former Chelsea forward placed himself above Ronaldo

Wayne Rooney, the former Manchester United striker, seems to echo Eden Hazard's belief that he surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of 'pure football'.

Beginning his career as a promising talent at Lille, Hazard rose to prominence as a world-class player during his time at Chelsea following his transfer to the Stamford Bridge club in 2012.

While the former Belgium international certainly made his mark as one of the Premier League's finest players, his stint at Real Madrid couldn't match the heights of Ronaldo's illustrious career, largely due to injuries that plagued his later years.

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In the ongoing debate over the greatest of all time between Lionel Messi and Cristiano, the 33-year-old boldly stated that he outclassed CR7 before conceding that Messi holds the title of "the greatest in history."

Rooney backs Hazard's claim

According to Essentially Sports, although Hazard's claim stirred controversy, it seems he has found support from former England international Wayne Rooney.

Rooney, now a coach after calling time on his playing career, believes that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner lacks the passion for enjoying the game as much as Hazard does (or did).

“Cristiano Ronaldo's mentality is goals. He doesn't care about anything else, just goals. That's all he wants. Messi, for example, wants to play a little more,” Rooney said on a podcast with Youtuber Lyes Bouzidi, as cited by CristianoXtra.

Explaining why Hazard believes he is better than Ronaldo, the 38-year-old said:

“Presumably, this is what Hazard means—he likes to play football just like me.”

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“I wanted to play football, and I could have been more selfish and stayed ahead and maybe scored more goals, but I wanted to enjoy football.”

Rooney's backing of Hazard may seem somewhat unusual, given that they were teammates at United. However, it's also understandable when considering the tensions that have existed between the two players over the course of time.

Hazard picks Messi as better player

Throughout his career, Eden Hazard was widely regarded as one of football's most gifted players.

However, in a recent interview with L’Equipe, Hazard revealed his opinion that there was only one player superior to him, overlooking prominent names like Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The former Belgium international named Lionel Messi as the only player whom he considered better than himself, as reported by Sports Brief.