Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Man City, Manchester City, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi
Chris Nee
Topics: Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Man City, Manchester City, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi
Kevin De Bruyne has a strong case to be regarded as Belgium's greatest ever footballer but he named a team-mate as his nation's best.
The Manchester City star considers former Chelsea and Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard the most talented player Belgium has produced.
"For me, it has to be Eden [Hazard]," said De Bruyne, according to Give Me Sport. "He's so, so good. I think talent-wise, he's probably top five in the world."
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De Bruyne himself is a contender for both accolades but clearly holds Hazard in high esteem.
Hazard burst onto the scene with Lille in Ligue 1 before he was snapped up by Chelsea in 2012.
His time in England, while not exactly flawless, was full of success.
As a Chelsea player, Hazard won the Premier League twice, the Europa League twice, and both domestic cup competitions. He was instrumental in all of them.
Hazard left the Blues for Real Madrid in 2019 and won La Liga twice before leaving the Spanish titans and subsequently retiring from football in 2023.
In De Bruyne's estimation only three current footballers can outdo his international team-mate for talent.
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According to Give Me Sport, the six-time Premier League winner named Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar as the trio fit to lace Hazard's boots.
All three global superstars are older now than Hazard was when he retired at 32 years of age.
Neymar, 33, returned to Brazilian giants Santos in January after a tumultuous but extremely successful career in Europe and a brief stay in Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal.
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He won the Champions League as a Barcelona player in 2015 and collected seven league titles with Barca and Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi played alongside the Brazil international in his fourth and final Champions League win, adding it to an unbelievable haul of ten La Liga wins and two Ligue 1 titles with PSG, both with Neymar.
Ronaldo, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's great rival, spent nearly 20 years playing at the highest levels of the game before joining Saudi outfit Al-Nassr in 2023.
De Bruyne has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League when he leaves Man City at the end of the season.