Hazard hits back after Ronaldo criticism

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 19 Feb 2024 10:53 GMT
• 2 min read

Eden Hazard has answered back to criticism from Cristiano Ronaldo, who seemed to take a barb at long-time rival Lionel Messi with a comment over the standard of Ligue 1.

Ronaldo claimed that the Saudi Pro League, where he is seeing out his career in prolific scoring form with Al-Nassr, is a superior level to the French top flight, where Messi had plied his trade until last summer, doing so with a surprising degree of difficulty given his storied history with Barcelona.

Hazard, who played with Ronaldo at Real Madrid after turning out for Chelsea, began his career with Lille, where he claimed the Ligue 1 title.

Asked about the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s comments, he told the Obi One Podcast: "I’m not agreeing with him. 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.”

What did Cristiano Ronaldo say about Ligue 1?

Speaking at the Globe Soccer Awards, where he was honoured as the Best Goalscorer and Fans’ Favourite Player of the Year, he claimed the Saudi Pro League is better than Ligue 1.

“To be honest I think the Saudi League is not worse than French league, in my opinion,” he claimed.

“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.”

Ronaldo has scored 30 goals in 32 appearances for Al-Nassr in the 2023/24 campaign and has started 2024 in excellent form, netting against both Al-Fayha and Al-Fateh.