He was Messi's rival and thinks that the Argentine should be given the Ballon d'Or

Recently, Eden Hazard announced his retirement from professional football at just 32 years old. The Belgian forward knew how to be one of the most outstanding in the world a few years ago, being a figure in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. However, his transfer to Real Madrid at 115 million euros (the most expensive in Merengue history up to that moment), They seemed to have ended his career. In Spain he played very little and injuries sidelined him from the starting team. Now, Hazard announced his definitive retirement from football.

"You must listen to yourself and say enough at the right moment. After 16 years and more than 700 games played, I have decided to end my career as a professional footballer. I was able to make my dream come true, I played and had fun on many football fields. everyone," said the 'Duke'. "During my career I was lucky to meet great managers, coaches and teammates. Thank you all for these great moments, I will miss you all. I also want to thank the clubs I have played for: Lille, Chelsea and Real Madrid "And thank the Belgian Federation for my National Team," Hazard concluded.

For a time, Hazard was considered among the best footballers in the world. In fact, a study established him as “the player most similar to Lionel Messi.” At the time, the consulting firm Drilab decided to search the world for the player most similar to Messi, in a study based on 71,600 footballers, 2,300 teams and 73,000 matches. According to the analysis, Hazard had a 92.7% similarity with the number 10 of the Argentine National Team.

For Hazard, the Ballon d'Or belongs to Messi

The former Belgian striker was asked about who should win the Ballon d'Or that is awarded this Monday in the city of Paris. Leo Messi is the main candidate along with Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. Some also mention Rodri Hernández. However, for Hazard there are no doubts about who has to take it. "The gold ball? It would be illogical not to give it to Messi, the best player in the history of this sport, in a year in which he wins the World Cup,” he said on Telefoot.