Thierry Henry has given his opinion on Eden Hazard and it’s got fans talking.
Henry, 47, was part of Sky Sports’ MNF coverage for Bournemouth’s 1-1 draw against West Ham on Monday evening.
The Frenchman was accompanied by presenter Dave Jones and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.
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“For me, you have players that get the ball in certain situations, and they will execute what they need to execute,” Henry said on Sky Sports’ MNF.
“This guy [Eden Hazard] was bailing you out of anywhere, in any situation, in any position.
"The amount of solo goals that he scored; left foot, right foot, anything, swivelling on people – it’s a different ball game for me.”
“This is the type of guy that I’d pay to watch,” he added.
Carragher then asked Henry why he thought Hazard never replicated the success of his Chelsea career during his time at Real Madrid between 2019 and 2023.
Despite being one of the best players in the Premier League during his time at Chelsea, Hazard made a £130m move to the Spanish club in June 2019, but he failed to make a real impact at Los Blancos, playing just 75 times across four seasons, before retiring in October 2023.
“At the end of the day, Eden [Hazard] is a lover of the game…he doesn’t want any aggro, he doesn’t want any trouble, he just wants to go onto the field and play and then enjoy his family and enjoy his holiday," said Henry.
“And then, ‘let me go on the field and play, if I’m not good enough bye, bye, I’m going to go’, and that’s what he did.
“I worked with him, and what he could do sometimes in some situations – wow.
"Sometimes, with the national team – and the boss [Roberto Martinez] had some great tactics…the amount of times you just give the ball to Eden and he just sorted it out is just frightening.”
Of course, Henry worked with the former Chelsea star when he was Martinez’s assistant manager at for Belgium between 2016 and 2018.
He returned for a further stint as second in command in 2022 before leaving the role once again upon Domenico Tedesco’s appointment as head coach in 2023.
Fans on social media were quick to gave their take on the Hazard or Mohamed Salah debate following Henry's comments.
One said: "Salah is greater than Hazard."
Another added: "Hazard prop in an era of Salah domination. Sir Henry we thank you for your service."
A third commented: "We need to talk more about Salah fr. Hazard will always be clear of Salah."
While a fourth exclaimed: "Hazard was the closest thing to Messi for years in terms of dribbling and saving his team."
Topics: Thierry Henry, Eden Hazard, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Premier League, Football, Belgium
Luke Davies