19 February 2024 , 13:17
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Eden Hazard has responded to Cristiano Ronaldo's claim that the Saudi Pro League is "more competitive" than Ligue 1.
Hazard cut his teeth in the French top flight, helping Lille win the Ligue 1 title and Coupe de France before leaving to join Chelsea in 2012. However, Ronaldo recently took aim at the standard of football in France, insisting the Saudi Pro League where he currently plays for Al-Nassr is better.
Speaking at the Globe Soccer Awards last month, Ronaldo claimed: "To be honest I think the Saudi League is not worse than French league, in my opinion. In [the] French league I think you have two, three teams with a good level.
"In Saudi now I think it's more competitive. They can say whatever they want, it's just my opinion and I played there one year so I know what I'm talking about. But I think right now we are better than [the] French league, we still improve."
However, when Ronaldo's comments were put to Hazard in an appearance on John Obi Mikel's Obi One Podcast, the Belgian categorically disagreed as he claimed a Saudi club would not be able to beat a Ligue 1 team.
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"I'm not agreeing with him but that's just an opinion," Hazard said in response. "If you look at the league in Saudi Arabia, they have big players, it's just that they're not big teams. In France, maybe now they have fewer big players, but they have big teams.
"I'm sure if a Ligue 1 team played against a Saudi Arabian team, they would win. Maybe not easily, like people might think, but the level in France is good. I'm watching their league and they have talent."
However, Hazard also paid tribute to Ronaldo when asked to give his thoughts on the age-old debate over whether the Portuguese superstar is better than Lionel Messi. "For me Messi is the one," he replied.
"Messi is the one if you talk about football. But then people they have different opinions on that though, Ronaldo is the goat to score goals and to bring trophies to the team.
"This guy wow, look at him now he is 39 and will score goals until he is 50, believe me. Me, I am more my style of play is Messi, but for me the greatest is [Zinedine] Zidane."
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