Chelsea legend, Eden Hazard, has said he refused advice from his old manager, Maurizio Sarri to follow Cristiano Ronaldo’s way of living.
The retired Belgian playmaker was among the top players in the world when he was active, often compared to the best ever to play English football.
Hazard talked to the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, saying that Sarri came to him during the 2018-19 season while he was at Chelsea and discussed the idea of trying to be like Cristiano Ronaldo.
He said he refused the advice from the Italian tactician because he wanted to keep enjoying certain things.
“Yes, but I told him I didn’t want to. I’ve never gone too far, but I’ve always wanted to be Hazard both on and off the field. If my friends asked me to have dinner, I would agree to go, and if I wanted a drink, I would allow myself to have one.
“Cristiano is Cristiano, I am Hazard. I just wanted to be myself and play football,” he said via GOAL.
Maurizio Sarri worked with Hazard for a single season at Stamford Bridge, and the Belgian player did very well under his guidance, which helped him achieve his goal of moving to Real Madrid.
He got hold of Cristiano Ronaldo’s number seven jersey but could not match Ronaldo’s performance at Chelsea because of injuries.
Hazard decided to end his professional football career in 2023 at the age of 32 because he had trouble staying healthy and playing regularly due to his fitness issues.
He said during and after his playing days that his main goal was to have fun while playing, and he mostly focused on enjoying his football throughout his career.