Guided by his affection for formative club Lille OSC, Eden Hazard has revealed that he turned down repeated advances from Paris Saint-Germain throughout his career.
Prior to joining Chelsea in 2012, Hazard came through the ranks at Lille, going on to make 194 appearances for Les Dogues, scoring 50 goals and registering 53 assists in that time. “I have always said that my club in France is Lille,” Hazard told former Chelsea teammate John Obi-Mikel on The Obi One Podcast.
Hazard defends Ligue 1
As a result, Hazard said that he would not play for another club in France, regardless of the finances of a deal. His affection for LOSC therefore led him to reject a persistent PSG on numerous occasions. “PSG were the only club to apply pressure every summer when I was playing at Chelsea. I have always said that my club in France is Lille and I wasn’t going to go to another club. I was always clear with PSG. There was no chance of me joining them. I love football, I love the fans and when I say something, I keep my word. Money isn’t a factor. Of course, it’s good to have money, but it wasn’t like I didn’t have enough already. I don’t care,” he told Obi-Mikel.
Eden Hazard (33) has disagreed with Cristiano Ronaldo’s (39) comments about the quality of Ligue 1:
“I don’t agree with him. I’m sure if a Ligue 1 team played against a Saudi Arabian team, they would win.” https://t.co/2xxbbzb15o
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) February 19, 2024
Hazard, who retired from football last year after an injury-hit spell at Real Madrid, also took the opportunity to defend the level of Ligue 1 football following criticism from Cristiano Ronaldo (39). The former Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus forward is currently plying his trade for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, and last month, he provoked a debate when he stated that the Saudi Pro League is a higher level than Ligue 1.
“I don’t agree 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,” reacted Hazard to Ronaldo’s comments.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle