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Eden Hazard was one of five players Cristiano Ronaldo tipped to supplant him in 2016. The Belgian was talismanic for Chelsea but failed to live up to expectations with Real Madrid . The former Lille winger was hot property in 2012 when Chelsea snapped him up for £32million from the French side and he didn't disappoint. Hazard made an immediate impact at Stamford Bridge and in just his third season there he won the Premier League . Hazard went off the boil slightly after that title win, though, but continued to be a crucial part of Chelsea's squad. In 2019 he left for Real Madrid in a staggering £130m package , but massively underwhelmed during his time in Spain. Three years prior, Los Blancos icon Ronaldo was asked for a handful of players he thought could follow in his footsteps to become one of the world's all-conquering best. He gave Hazard as one of five answers and although the winger was often unplayable in west London, he never quite reached such heights. Asked for some stars who could replace him at the top nine years ago, Ronaldo told BT Sport: "You see many players with potential, I will mention [Martin] Odegaard of Madrid for example. At 16 he's still young but you can see he's a very good player. "[Eden] Hazard, for example, the No.7 of Manchester United [Memphis] Depay is a good player too. [Also Paul] Pogba and maybe Neymar." Hazard had a slight slump during the 2015/16 campaign but bounced back as Chelsea won the league again the following season. He also won the FA Cup in 2018. But in the years after Ronaldo's prediction, he simply didn't live up to expectations. After his move to the Spanish capital, Hazard was plagued by injury and made just 76 appearances across four years. He netted just seven goals despite being thought of by some as a replacement for Juventus-bound Ronaldo. In 2023 both parties came to a mutual agreement to terminate Hazard's contract a year early and he hung up his boots months later on the back of more injury turmoil . Hazard never quite reached the world-beating heights that Ronaldo predicted for him and after he left the Bernabeu, he revealed that he didn't fit in at the club. "It [Real Madrid] is a bit of a 'swaggering' club, and I'm not like that. I also didn't like the way we played if you compare it to other clubs," Hazard told L'Equipe. "But, it was my dream. I couldn't finish my career without coming here. "I would've liked to do things my way and succeed. It shows that Real Madrid is bigger than anything else. It's complicated to play there. Maybe I needed to train more. I also had the worst injuries at the worst times. "The operation, the plate... I'm coming back, [and] it hurts, I'm sore. In the second season, Ancelotti arrives. I had good preparation, I play well, but my body, the pain, the injuries..." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. I f you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
