Hazard arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2019 after spending seven years with Chelsea and establishing himself as one of the best wingers on the planet.
The 34-year-old, who retired from football in October 2023, never lived up to expectations in Spain and is regarded as one of the club’s worst signings in modern times.
Despite his disappointing move, he arrived with much anticipation and many expected him to thrive at the club.
This led to many expecting him to replace Ronaldo, something he says he never set out to do.
“Succeeding Cristiano at Real Madrid wasn’t a burden because, in my opinion, I wasn’t there to replace him. It’s the media who say, ‘he’s going to replace Ronaldo.’ I think I have a completely different style of play than him. I couldn’t score 60 or 70 goals a year. In fact, throughout my entire career, I barely scored that many.
“I went there to play like Eden, not to replace Ronaldo. But, as often happens, things didn’t go well. I didn’t want number 7. I wanted Luka Modric’s number 10. I thought he was going to say, ‘okay, take it,’ but he didn’t give it to me.”
In four years with Madrid, he made a mere 76 appearances with just seven goals to his name in a stint that he will want to forget even if his goal was not to fill Ronaldo’s boots.