Eden Hazard was one of the best players and biggest icons of the 2010s, dominating the Premier League with Chelsea after first being a phenom in Ligue 1 with Lille.
A two time Premier League and Europa League champion as well as a two time La Liga winner and Champions League winner with Real Madrid, Hazard played with some incredible footballers over the years like Luka Modric, Thibaut Courtois, Toni Kroos, Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos, and John Terry.
But if you ask Hazard who the best player he ever played with is, he can’t help but wax poetic about the man who was, briefly, to his right at Real Madrid, Karim Benzema.
Hazard said, via Madrid Xtra, “Best player I played with? Karim Benzema. In matches and training he delivered a very high level. I’d be on the pitch with him and say to myself: ‘Wow’. He was delivering pure art; it was wonderful playing with Karim.”
It sounds like an obvious choice. Benzema was insane and actually at his best when Hazard moved to Madrid, out of the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo. His 2021/22 Champions League winning campaign is arguably the greatest ever, not just for coming close to Cristiano’s goals record but for carrying the team to crucial wins, especially the Remontada over PSG.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.