Diego Costa enjoyed great success at Chelsea before returning to Atletico Madrid in 2017.
During his time at Stamford Bridge, the forward won two Premier League titles and one League Cup.
Costa played a key role in Chelsea’s title triumphs in 2017 and 2015, scoring 20 goals in each of those two campaigns.
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However, it was one of his former teammates who was at the heart of the Blues’ success in those two title-winning seasons.
L-R Chelsea's Diego Costa and Chelsea's Eden Hazard during Premier League match between Chelsea and Middlesbrough
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Diego Costa claims Eden Hazard could have surpassed Lionel Messi
Eden Hazard was the star of the show when Chelsea won the Premier League crown in the 2016/17 and 2014/15 campaigns. He shone alongside Costa, and the 37-year-old has now claimed that his ex-teammate could have become a better player than Lionel Messi.
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, Costa said: “What I enjoyed the most was [playing] with Hazard. If Hazard trained like Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, he could be even better because he didn’t train that much and he was really, really good.
“Imagine when you train and when you look after yourself, you will be better for sure. I think if Eden Hazard had a desire to be better, he could be even a better player.”
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Hazard never reached the heights of Messi, but he still had a very successful career before retiring in 2023.
Like Costa, Hazard won two Premier League titles, but he also managed to get his hands on two Europa League trophies and one FA Cup during his time in west London.
Today, Chelsea have the likes of Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho playing out wide. While he appreciates some of his qualities, Gary Neville doubts Neto will ever reach Hazard’s level.
Lionel Andres Messi (C) of FC Barcelona competes for the ball with N'Golo Kante
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Why Eden Hazard still wouldn’t have surpassed Lionel Messi even with his ability
The numbers that Messi put up at Barcelona were just ridiculous. Even with his talent, Hazard would not have got anywhere near to the Argentina international.
The Chelsea teams that Hazard played in just did not have the same amount of quality as Messi’s Barcelona.
There was no Luis Suarez, Neymar, Andres Iniesta or Xavi at Stamford Bridge, players who Messi owes a lot of his success to.
Hazard was a phenomenal attacker and still managed to finish his career with more than 150 goals, but it is hard to agree with Costa here.
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