Report: Ronaldo And Benzema To Leave Madrid At End Of Season

The strike duo are said to be making way for players such as Robert Lewandowski and Eden Hazard.

Sport.es report that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is planning a clearout of stars for the 2016-2017 season with his advisers, regardless of Madrid’s results this season.

Perez is said to have ‘grown tired of the rudeness’ of all-time top goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo, while the Karim Benzema news comes as no surprise – he wants to distance the club from Benzema’s current legal troubles.

The French striker is alleged to be part of a plot to blackmail compatriot Mathieu Valbuena over an apparent sex tape.

“Florentino wants to build a team that does not revolve around the Portugal forward, instead doing it around Robert Lewandowski – now at Bayern under Pep Guardiola,” Sport claim.

“The money that the club would receive for CR7 and Benzema would serve to formalize the contract of Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea,who last summer was frustrated by delays in paperwork during a touted Madrid move.

Hazard of Chelsea could also force him out to please the wishes of the Madrid businessman, who has tired of the posturing of Cristiano and Benzema’s messes.”

Lewandowski has 19 goals in 17 matches for Bayern Munich this season. De Gea has picked up where he left off last season – with five clean sheets in a row, while Eden Hazard has struggled at the crisis-struck Chelsea, and a move has already been rumoured.

The possible availability of Cristiano Ronaldo would put former club Manchester United on red alert, and Benzema has been a long-term Arsenal target. To make the move he would have to avoid a jail-term first though.

Football transfer rumours: Real Madrid chasing Chelsea’s Eden Hazard?

Manchester United are the Mill’s top story again, with their desire to make a new, improved, £30m offer for Wolfsburg’s left-back Ricardo Rodríguez fighting for supremacy with news that the Red Devils’ search for a new winger now appears to have ended, of all places, in Bournemouth. Louis van Gaal still covets Sadio Mané, but with Southampton’s fleet-footed Senegalese forward likely to be a bit pricey they have identified Matt Ritchie (or, as Metro call him, “genius assist king”) as a potential cut-price alternative. The Saints are shortlisting potential striker signings just in case they find themselves needing to refresh their forward line, and have stuck the name of the former Newcastle loan flop Luuk de Jong, currently the scourge of goal nets in the Eindhoven area, near the top of it. Less likely to delight January rumourmongers is Luuk’s brother and current Newcastle bench-warmer Siem, whose suitors Steve McClaren has warned to do one, having decided he is “a vital part of the squad” – though largely in a non-playing way, it seems.

International week: 10 things to look out for in the upcoming matches

 

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Bayern Munich hope to see off Manchester City’s interest in Pep Guardiola by tying the Spanish tactician to a new extended contract, in which case the English title-chasing aspirants will switch targets to Carlo Ancelotti. As it happens the Italian’s former employers Real Madrid have identified as their main megabucks transfer target for 2016 currently misfiring twinkle-toed Belgian Eden Hazard, who at present plays in somewhat half-hearted style for Chelsea, also among Ancelotti’s former employers – but now it seems the deep-pocketed Spaniards will face competition from Paris Saint-Germain, also among Ancelotti’s former employers, who have put aside £80m to make sure they win the fight.

If Chelsea are serious about signing Real Madrid’s Jesé, as has occasionally been rumoured, they’re going to have to get their wallet out in January or else Arsenal will probably end up with the Spanish forward – and a bank balance reduced by something in the region of £21m. PSG, meanwhile, are clearing space in their squad for a potential Hazard-shaped arrival by allowing Ezequiel Lavezzi to go back to Italy, with Juventus hopeful of getting him on the cheap – which would leave them enough in their kitty to also sign Ilkay Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund.

One person not going to Italy is Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen, recently scouted by Inter even though the London club are not keen in any way whatsoever to sell their ace defender and vice-captain. One thing Spurs are keen on, however, is the 17-year-old Dinamo Zagreb defender Vinko Soldo, also a target for Inter’s neighbours, Milan.

In goalkeeping news, to the delight of every headline-penning subeditor in the land Liverpool are keen on Köln’s Timo Horn, whose contract at the German side contains a £6.5m release clause. Tottenham, meanwhile, are hoping to send a removal van up to Sunderland to pick up Jordan Pickford, though the 21-year-old is currently on loan at Preston, while Sunderland might lose another loanee in the shape of Emanuele Giaccherini, with the injury-prone midfielder admitting he fancies staying at Bologna. On his way to Sunderland, perhaps, is the Olympiakos full-back Arthur Masuaku, with the Black Cats having been told that the 22-year-old Frenchman would cost £7m. And while we’re on the subject of Liverpool, which we were not too long ago, this might be the right place to shoehorn in Bolton’s pursuit of João Teixeira, who spent last season on loan at Brighton and has spent this season not doing very much at all. Another loan switch may be in the offing.

If Steve Parkin’s deal to buy Leeds United goes through he’ll be straight on the phone to David Moyes, having presumably identified that what that club really need is a change of manager (it may never happen: current owner Massimo Cellino has claimed there are six – six! – potential buyers). The other thing Leeds apparently really need is Kyle Lafferty, who may be available on loan from Norwich.

Chelsea crisis: 7 problems that Jose Mourinho must solve, including what to do with Cesc Fabregas and how to kick-start Eden Hazard

We are only five games into the new Premier League season, but already Chelsea's title defence is in grave doubt.

The sudden decline of Jose Mourinho's team has caught most by surprise and, less than 150 days after they won the title so convincingly, it appears that there are many problems to fix.

Here Press Association Sport's Matt Somerford looks at seven areas that Chelsea must improve if they are to save their season.

1. The defence

The obvious place to start simply because Chelsea have conceded more goals than any other club in the Premier League. Who would have predicted that? The Blues' pursuit of John Stones confirmed they knew it was an area they needed to strengthen - John Terry was never going to play every game of the season again - but they could hardly have forseen the decline of Branislav Ivanovic, while Mourinho appears to have lost faith in Gary Cahill after the 3-0 loss at Manchester City. The Portuguese knows how to whip a defence into shape and you imagine that is his number one priority at the moment.

2. Lethargic midfield

If Chelsea's defence has looked exposed a fair portion of the blame can lay in midfield where Chelsea have simply failed to take control of any contest. Chaotic encounters have ensued - a very un-Mourinho trait - and the Blues' only win of the campaign was a 3-2 slugfest at West Brom. Mourinho tried to stabilise central midfield at Goodison Park by pairing Nemanja Matic with John Obi Mikel - freeing Cesc Fabregas from defensive responsibility - but still the goals came.

3. Give Hazard a helping hand

Eden Hazard was Chelsea's best player by some distance last season. This season the Belgian has hardly got a touch without two or three defenders harassing him. The Blues have to find a way to let him break free of the shackles because at his most devastating Hazard slides past opposition players to unlock defences. It's hard to remember him dribbling at a defender one-on-one at all so far this season and as a result Chelsea have looked static going forward.

3. Strikers curse

Is Diego Costa going the way of Andriy Shevchenko, Fernando Torres, Mateja Kezman and Adrian Mutu? It's hard to put him in that category just yet, but since his flying start to last season the Spain international has scored four goals in 17 games. He's also only scored once for Spain since moving to London. Costa's back-up, Radamal Falcao, hardly had a better record at Manchester United last season while Loic Remy has never got started at Stamford Bridge due to injury.

 

4. What to do with Fabregas?

It is not apparent what Mourinho wants to do with Fabregas at the moment. He led the Premier League in assists last season, but his defensive frailties were exposed at the back end of the season working in a deep role alongside Matic. That has been the case again this term, prompting him to be pushed further up the pitch against Everton where the game largely bypassed the Spaniard. Barcelona did warn Chelsea upon Fabregas' exit that his contributions for them had waned as the seasons went on.

5. Lack of depth

For all of Chelsea's wheeling and dealing over the past couple of years, they appear to have a lack of depth. When they went behind at home to Crystal Palace, Mourinho responded by bringing on teenagers Kenedy and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The cupboard looks even more bare in defence where Papy Djilobodji and Baba Rahman - both uncapped at Premier League level - are the next best options.

6. Turn to youth

It might already be time to give youth a chance. Chelsea have a long list of young talent and Mourinho has indicated he is willing to expose them to the Premier League. We've already seen that with Loftus-Cheek - although he was overlooked for the experience of Mikel at Everton - while Kenedy impressed, albeit briefly, with his pace and skill against Palace. Attacking midfielder Bertrand Traore is another exciting talent who is not out on loan.

7. Mourinho

The Portuguese must come to terms with his worst-ever start to a season as a coach. When Mourinho took Chelsea to the title in his first campaign at Stamford Bridge in 2004-05 they conceded just 15 goals in total. Already this season they are just three goals shy of that and, for a man famed for having every detail covered, that will hardly be acceptable. Off-field dramas have further added to the descending gloom, but so often in chaos Mourinho draws strength. It would be a brave person to bet against the master tactician engineering something remarkable now.

Chelsea Fans Rate Victor Moses Higher Than Eden Hazard

After churning an impressive performance during his team’s win last weekend, Nigeria’s Victor Moses has been touted as a better player than Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.

The Chelsea loanee at West Ham United was very instrumental to his side’s 2-0 win over Newcastle United on Monday night, a situation which means his parent club remain 17th on the log and not further down the relegation zone.

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Subsequently, the club’s fans and observers have tagged the player’s performance in his debut for West ham after the deadline loan switch as one which Chelsea would rue after allowing Moses leave at the expense of the highly-rated Hazard.

The Nigerian player, who was substituted after 88th minute for another club favourite, Andy Carrol, received an outstanding ovation for his performance, and has been tipped to punish the Stamford Bridge ‘landlords’ if he plays against them when they meet.

Even Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh could not hide his admiration for the player’s performance, as he also expressed his joy over the display via his twitter handle.

I'll never be a true scorer like Messi, Ronaldo: Hazard

Chelsea forward Eden Hazard admitted he "will never be a true scorer" like FC Barcelona striker Lionel Messi and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo who net around 50-60 goals per season.

Having been crowned player of the year after driving Chelsea to the English Premier League title last season, the Belgian has been talked up as having the potential to rival the Barcelona and Real Madrid stars.

With 19 goals to his name in all competitions last season, manager Jose Mourinho and teammate Cesc Fabreas were among those to hail Hazard's potential.

"I often ask myself what I can do to become like Messi and Ronaldo and score 50 or 60 goals in a season," Hazard was quoted as saying by goal.com on Wednesday.

"I try of course but I realise that I will never be a true scorer. It's not in me. It is mainly mental - at 2-0, not thinking that is enough, for example. Sometimes I still think, after a goal, 'that's enough," he said.

"I'm not in search of records like some other players... if I can score between 15 and 20 goals each season, I will be very happy," the Belgian said.

Hazard has endured a sluggish start to the ongoing season and is yet to score from four English Premier League outings, with Chelsea surprisingly languishing in 13th.

Eden Hazard admits he will not match the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's goalscoring feats

Chelsea's Eden Hazard has admitted he will never replicate Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi's goalscoring record.

The Belgian forward netted 19 times in all competitions last season in 52 games, his best return for Chelsea on the way to claiming the PFA Player of the Year crown.

He has struggled this term so far, failing to score with the Blues' title 

defence getting off to a stuttering start, and insists it is "not in him" to become a 50-goal forward.

Ronaldo and Messi hit a combined 119 goals in all competitions last term

"I ask myself what I can do to become like Messi and Ronaldo, and score 50 or 60 goals in a season," Hazard said in an interview with Sport/Foot Magazine in Belgium.

"I try but I realise that I will never be a true scorer. It is not in me. It is mainly mental.

"Sometimes I still think after a goal, 'that's enough'."

Real Madrid's Ronaldo scored 61 goals in 54 games last season, and has 313 in just over seven seasons in the Spanish capital, while Messi netted 58 times as Barcelona won an historic treble in 2014/15.

But 24-year-old Hazard, who has averaged just under a goal in every three games since joining Chelsea, says he is happy with his current rate.

"I'm not in search of records like some other players. If I can score between 15 and 20 goals each season, I will be very happy.

"I'm at a peak of my career but I want to become even better every day. I'm not there yet."

City seek early psychological lift against Chelsea

LONDON: The destination of the Premier League trophy will not be decided when current champions Chelsea meet their immediate predecessors Manchester City on Sunday, but the winners will get a welcome psychological boost for the long campaign ahead.

The meeting between two of the main title contenders has come early in the season but three points are three points whether they are won in August or May.

If Manchester City take them they will already be five clear of Chelsea whereas last season they never got their noses in front of Jose Mourinho's side.

City began their campaign with an easy 3-0 win at West Bromwich Albion on Monday with Yaya Toure looking back to his imperious best, scoring the best goal of the season so far with City's second from the edge of the box.

Toure's excellent display and an equally emphatic statement of intent from City's captain Vincent Kompany were both in contrast to many of their performances last season.

"I know what I have to do and I don't care what people say about me. I'm not back - I've always been there," a defiant Toure said at the Hawthorns.

His manager Manuel Pellegrini, who has just signed a new deal with the club, did say Toure had had problems last season following the death of his brother Ibrahim, when Toure struggled in matches against the top sides.

So he will be under scrutiny when Chelsea visit on Sunday.

INDIFFERENT START

Chelsea made an indifferent start with a 2-2 draw against Swansea City at Stamford Bridge but much of the focus since has been on the curious aftermath of the match with Mourinho banning the club's first team doctor Eva Carneiro from the bench.

Mourinho was unhappy that Carneiro and physio Jon Fearn went on the pitch to treat Eden Hazard near the end.

Chelsea were down to 10 men following the dismissal of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and because the medics had come on to the pitch, Hazard had to go off before he could resume playing, leaving Chelsea with nine men on the field.

That incensed Mourinho and his banning order has made headlines since but what should concern him more was the way his team played.

Courtois will miss Sunday's game with newly-arrived deputy Asmir Begovic taking his place.

Petr Cech, Chelsea's first choice goalie for much of the past decade, is now at Arsenal and he will be hoping to put his miserable debut for the Gunners to the back of his mind at Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Cech was at fault for both goals as Arsenal were shocked 2-0 at home by West Ham United on Sunday.

Palace meanwhile go into the game after an impressive 3-1 win at promoted Norwich City.

Palace have only beaten Arsenal three times in 37 meetings since they first clashed over 80 years ago and Arsenal have not lost a league match at Palace since 1979.

Arsene Wenger's men, who won the FA Cup last season and started this season with a Community Shield victory over Chelsea, will be looking to bounce back immediately.

The weekend starts with the re-introduction of a televised Friday night match with Aston Villa meeting Manchester United at Villa Park.

Both teams won their opening matches last weekend so whoever wins on Friday will go top, at least until the rest catch up on Saturday and Sunday.

Jose Mourinho Eva Carneiro: Chelsea manager bans ‘naive’ team doctor from matchday bench

Eva Carneiro has been banned from sitting on the bench after treating Eden Hazard late in the game against Swansea.

DOWN to 10-men and with a player down on the ground, Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro’s decision to run to Eden Hazard’s aid has seen her banned by Jose Mourinho from sitting on the bench on matchdays.

Carneiro had decided to treat Hazard on the field late in their 2-2 draw at home to Swansea, forcing the attacker to go off the pitch and putting an already 10-man Chelsea down to nine for a short time.

Mourinho was furious at Carneiro’s decision to enter the field and treat Hazard, and vented his anger at her as she returned to his technical area.

Mourinho then confirmed to Sky Sports after the game that he was “not happy” with his medical staff and it is now understood she has been banned from matchday duties.

Sky Sports sources understand the Gibraltar-born Carneiro will continue in her role as first-team doctor, but she will only work at the club’s training ground in Cobham, Surrey.

On the incident, Mourinho said: “Even if you are a kit man, doctor or secretary on the bench, you have to understand the game.

“You have to know you have one player less and when you go to the pitch to assist a player, you have to make sure your player has a serious injury.

“I was sure he hadn’t a serious problem. He had a knock, he was very tired. But my medical department — on an impulse — was naive and left me with eight outfield players in a counter-attack after a set piece.”

Carneiro joined Chelsea in 2009 as a reserve-team doctor before being promoted by Andre Villas-Boas to take the first-team role in 2011.

Earlier this year, the club were forced to issue a statement condemning sexism and discrimination in the game after Carneiro was subjected to sexist abuse from supporters.

Arsenal vs Chelsea: Arsene Wenger insists Eden Hazard is not in Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo class

Ahead of Community Shield Wenger praises the winger but contradicts Jose Mourinho's claim that he is at the level of the world's very best

Jose Mourinho may believe Eden Hazard is ready to challenge Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the best player on the planet, but Arsène Wenger is not convinced.

The Arsenal manager argues that the Chelsea playmaker is not yet at the level of the Barcelona and Real Madrid forwards because he cannot compete with their goalscoring record.

• What time does the Community Shield start on Sunday?

Messi and Ronaldo both scored more than 55 goals in all competitions last season, compared to Hazard’s 19.

“He can decide the games and you always put the top players in this kind of calibre, when they can decide games by creating something special,” Wenger said. “Hazard is in that category. To reach the other two or three who are dominating world football at the moment I think it demands consistency and that is what he still has to do. It is all about opinions. You have to compare the numbers and players like Messi and Ronaldo still score 50 goals per season, that is absolutely exceptional.”

_{Hazard enjoyed a stellar campaign last season}

While Hazard may not sit on the summit of world football yet, Arsenal’s Community Shield opponents on Sunday, Chelsea, were firmly on top of the Premier League last season.

Leading throughout, Jose Mourinho’s side finished 12 points ahead of Arsenal, who ended the season third and outside of the top two for the 10th successive year. But with no major tournament this summer and a fully fit squad, Wenger believes this season can be different and Arsenal must challenge for the title.

• Jose Mourinho: the ones that got away

“Even last year we had no excuses, just the fact that they [Chelsea] started stronger and we didn’t. There were reasons, that is for sure,” said Wenger.

“[Per] Mertesacker, [Laurent] Koscielny, [Mesut] Ozil came back [from the World Cup]. We lost [Olivier] Giroud, Koscielny and Ozil for four months right from the start. [Danny] Welbeck joined very late on Sept 2. This season it is different.

_{Wenger believes his team will start better than they did last year}

“I believe they were more stable than us defensively and at the start of last season especially they had a good start. After six games we were 11 points behind Chelsea and we finished 12 points behind Chelsea. That means after six games the decision was made. They had a strong start and we had a slow start.”

If Arsenal are to claim a first title since 2004 then one man viewed as pivotal to that charge is Ozil, who Wenger believes can compete with Hazard as the Premier League’s leading light. The playmaker moved to the Emirates from Real Madrid in 2013 for a club record fee of £42.5 million, but his late arrival that year and the World Cup 12 months later have prevented him from having a full pre-season.

• Mourinho: winning the Premier League will be harder than ever

This summer, though, Ozil’s preparations have not been interrupted and Wenger believes that could be pivotal.

“He is physically stronger, that is for sure,” Wenger said. “More equipped to deal with the Premier League and in the second part of the season last year we have seen that intelligence of his passing.

• 'Aubameyang's new contract strengthens Arsenal's interest in Benzema'

“The fact is that he added some steel to his game that was needed, certainly in the Premier League, and I am confident he can be one of the great players of 2015/16.

“He joined very late without any preparation with the team, and in 2014 he came back exhausted by the World Cup. He got injured for four months and in the second part of the season he started to really adapt. This is of course the test, it is a very important season for him. But you can see that people have turned in favour of him recently, they are starting to enjoy his game.

_{Wenger is backing Mesut Ozil to make a major impact this season}

“The Premier League is sometimes a shock as well for the players because they think, ‘Oh, what’s happening here?’ And I remember when [Robert] Pires arrived, the first year I put him next to me at Sunderland and I said, ‘You will sit next to me today and watch the game.’ After 20 minutes he said, ‘Is it always like this?’ But he adapted.”

Within 19 months of his appearance on that bench at the Stadium of Light, Pires was voted Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association. It is an achievement Wenger will be hoping Ozil can replicate.

Wenger disagrees with Mourinho: Hazard not at Ronaldo & Messi level yet

The Arsenal boss believes the PFA Player of the Year needs to decide matches more consistently if he is to be considered alongside the two best players in the world

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says Eden Hazard is not currently at the same level as Real Madrid'sCristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

Hazard was one of the stars of the 2014-15 Premier League season and claimed the PFA and FWA Player of the Year awards as he helped the Blues claim their first title since 2010.

And while Jose Mourinho believes the former Lille winger had a better season than Ronaldo, who scored 61 goals despite Madrid failing to win a trophy, Wenger believes Hazard needs to be the difference for his team more consistently.

He told reporters ahead of Sunday's Community Shield clash against Chelsea: "It is all about opinions. You have to compare the numbers. I must say players like Messi and Ronaldo still score 50 goals and that is exceptional.

"He [Hazard] can decide the games and you put the top players in this kind of calibre when they can decide the games with something special.

"Hazard is in this category, now to reach the other two or three that are dominating world football at the moment I think it demands consistency which he is still to do."

Matic: Hazard can always bail Chelsea out of trouble

The midfielder says that his Belgian team-mate is the man he turns to whenever he is unsure of what to do with the ball 

Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic says that Eden Hazard is the man his side turns to when they "don't know what to do with the ball".

The Belgian forward was named the Premier League's Player of the Year last season as he inspired Jose Mourinho's men to the title with 19 goals and 11 assists across all competitions.

Evaluating the Chelsea squad for the Daily Mail on behalf of Top Eleven, Matic agreed with the honours awarded to his team-mate and believes that there is more still to come from the ex-Lille man.

"He was the best player in the league last season, he won the trophy for being the best and he deserved that," the Serbian enthused. "He's still so young! He can still improve.

"Usually it's a player from the champions that wins the best player and he was so good for us – scoring important goals and assisting others.

"Whenever I don’t know what to do with the ball I just give it to Eden! He usually finds a way to create an opportunity."

Matic also paid tribute to club captain John Terry, arguing that the veteran is peerless among Premier League centre-backs over the last two decades.

He declared: "John is our legend. I’m not saying this because I play with him – he is the best defender in England in the last 20 years. He is our captain, he's been captain of teams that have won the league several times, and I have no idea how many cups he’s won!

"If you have a leader like this and good players, results will come. If he sees something wrong on the pitch, he always makes it right, but in a positive way, and the young players like that.

"He doesn't actually speak that much in the dressing room, he only speaks when he needs to - and everybody listens."

The midfielder also spoke of his confidence that Radamel Falcao, who has moved on loan to Stamford Bridge after a testing spell at Manchester United last season, can get back to his best under Mourinho's guidance.

"He's a great player," Matic added. "I know he can come back to his quality from before, he just needs to believe in it. I'm sure he will be very important for us."

Arsene Wenger: How close I came to signing Eden Hazard

ARSENE WENGER has admitted he was in for Eden Hazard before he joined Chelsea. 

The Belgian winger will get another chance to show Wenger what he's missing when he lines up for Chelsea against Arsenal this Sunday in the Community Shield.

Wenger said he was in for Hazard when he moved from Lille to Chelsea in 2012, but that he was never really close to getting his man.

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SO NEAR, YET SO FAR: Wenger was interested in signing Hazard when he joined Chelsea

“He's pushing the top two in the world”

Arsene Wenger

Wenger said: "How close were we to signing Eden Hazard? A few millions!"

"He's pushing the top two in the world.

"It's all about opinions and after that you look at the numbers and Messi and Ronaldo score 50 goals a season."

Blues boss Jose Mourinho insisted that Hazard was the best player on the planet earlier today.

Eden Hazard vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Jose Mourinho says Chelsea star pipped rival - but was he right?

Real Madrid megastar Ronaldo may have scooped the Ballon d'Or, but Opta have crunched the numbers and they make some interesting reading.

Head-to-head: We compare Eden Hazard and Cristiano Ronaldo

Jose Mourinho reckons Chelsea ace Eden Hazard had a better season than Cristiano Ronaldo last time out.

The outspoken Blues boss believes his star man was only behind Barcelona's Lionel Messi in the pecking order after helping them recapture the Premier League title.

While Ronaldo scooped the 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or, the Special One says his lack of success with Real Madrid is the blot on his copybook.

He said: "Last season, yes (I would put Eden above Ronaldo). In spite of the fact that Ronaldo was fantastic. He was fantastic. He scored an incredible number of goals. I am not saying he is not fantastic. I am not saying he was not fantastic.

"I am just saying that, in my personal view, every football player in the world should understand that a team has to be in front and no titles …"

But what do the stats prove?

Opta have crunched the numbers and they make some interesting reading.

In pictures - Chelsea train in Canada

Goal charts

Unsurprisingly, the Portuguese superstar was ahead of his rival in the scoring stakes.

Ronaldo smashed a staggering 48 goals in just 35 La Liga matches last term.

Wing-wizard Hazard managed only 14 in 38 top-flight games for the Blues.

Hotshot: Ronaldo celebrates scoring for Real Madrid

Shooting

While Ronnie scored 34 times more than Hazard, the Chelsea man was almost as deadly in front of goal.

The Real Madrid forward recorded 182 shots, with a shot conversion rate of 26.37 per cent.

However, Hazard found the net once in every four attempts.

League 2014/15	Hazard	Ronaldo
Games played	38	35
Goals	14	48
Shots	56	182
Shot conversion rate	25	26.37
Assists	9	16

Assists

Hazard set up nine of the Blues' 73 goals on their way to the title last campaign.

In contrast, Ronaldo almost doubled that number, having a helping hand in 18 of Real's netbusters.

However, Hazard created a whopping 101 chances for his teammates, while Ronaldo put the ball on a plate for his pals 75 times.

Dribbling

Hazard is the dribbling king out of the pair.

The Belgian completed 180 of 294 attempted dribbles.

Ronaldo was less successful, being stopped in his tracks on more than half of his runs.

On the run: Wing-wizard Hazard skips a challenge

He completed 54 of 129 attempts.

It's probably no surprise then that Hazard drew 113 fouls, 56 more than Cristiano.

Passing

Hazard attempted 2,217 passes, with an accuracy of an impressive 86.92 per cent.

Ronaldo was also pretty successful in picking out a team-mate.

Only one in five of his 1181 passes went astray.

League 2014/15	Hazard	Ronaldo
Chances created	101	75
Dribbles attempted	294	129
Dribbles completed	180	54
Passing accuracy	86.92	80.69
Fouls won	113	57