Predrag Mijatovic: Eden Hazard Replacing Cristiano Ronaldo Is 'Impossible'

Former Real Madrid player Predrag Mijatovic believes it is "impossible" for Eden Hazard to replicate the impact Cristiano Ronaldo had at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Mijatovic, who played for Los Blancos from 1996 to 1999, is a fan of the Belgian but isn't convinced anyone can fill Ronaldo's boots.

Per Goal's Naim Beneddra, he said:

"Hazard is a very good player, for sure. He is one of the best players in Europe. But, in my opinion, we can't expect him to do what Cristiano Ronaldo did. In my opinion, it's impossible—there is no player who can play like Ronaldo.

"The pressure at Madrid is different to the pressure at Chelsea and you need some time to handle that."

Hazard joined Real from Chelsea this summer, a year on from Ronaldo's departure to Juventus.

The winger will don the same iconic shirt number as the Portuguese superstar:

Hazard is a world-class operator and a strong choice for Real with Ronaldo gone, but it's hard to disagree with Mijatovic's assessment.

Ronaldo scored 450 goals in 438 matches—an average of 50 per season over the course of his nine years in the Spanish capital—as well as laying on 131 assists. His efforts helped Real win La Liga twice and the UEFA Champions League four times, among other honours.

Hazard's most prolific campaign came in 2011-12, when he netted 22 goals in all competitions with Lille. At Chelsea, he only scored more than 20 goals once, when he bagged 21 last season.

Although Ronaldo's performances soared to new heights when he moved to Real, he was only 24 at the time, not yet at the peak of his powers. What's more, he already had a high-scoring season under his belt at Manchester United, in which he had netted 42 goals, to build on.

Hazard is 28, so it's unlikely his game will develop significantly at this stage.

It would take an enormous improvement for him to reach Ronaldo-level numbers, but his output could increase now that he's surrounded by better players than he was at Stamford Bridge.

Like Ronaldo in his early days in Madrid, Hazard is also a player whose pace and flair in the final third will get fans off their seats.

Even if the Belgian can't have quite the same impact, he'll still bring a great deal of excitement and likely some silverware to his new club.