Ronaldo wanted to be world's best at Manchester United - I wonder if Eden Hazard has self-belief, says Phil Neville

Star man | Eden Hazard (centre) has scored 15 league goals for Chelsea this season
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Phil Neville has questioned whether Chelsea star Eden Hazard has the same self-belief that Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo possesses.

Ronaldo, Neville's former teammate at Manchester United, helped Real put one foot in the Champions League final after scoring a hat-trick against city rivals Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.

His three goals at the Santiago Bernabeu was the 32-year-old's 47th in his career and means Ronaldo is the first player to reach 50 goals in the Champions League knockout stages.

Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who coached Ronaldo at Real, previously insisted Hazard performed better than the Portugal international in 2014 when he won the Ballon d'Or award.

But after watching Ronaldo secure a 3-0 win for Real over Atletico in the Champions League semi-final first-leg on Tuesday, Neville admitted he wonders whether Hazard - who has 15 league goals for Chelsea this season - has the kind of self-belief that the Real Madrid star possesses.

Writing in his column on BBC Sport, Neville said: "Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi push each other on. Messi got all the plaudits after the recent match against Real Madrid, but Ronaldo has raised the bar again.

"Every time I see him I am amazed at his drive and determination to be the best in the world - and on Tuesday it was a 'wow' performance from him.

"He has natural ability coupled with hard work. He is a tremendous example of where hard work can take you.

Hat-trick hero: Cristiano Ronaldo stole the show at the Bernabeu
Getty Images

"When we were at Manchester United he said he wanted to go on to be the best player in the world. He had the self-belief to get to the very top. I look at Chelsea's Eden Hazard sometimes and wonder if he has that.

"United's Carrington training ground is maybe a mile, two miles around. Every single day he used to take a ball after training and run and do his tricks for a mile, two miles at a time. His drive and his ability to practise every single day is just phenomenal.

"When he gets back to his house after the match against Atletico, he will have an ice bath, eat the right things at the right time to refuel his body, stretch - and he will have a masseur there. His professionalism, drive and desire are amazing."

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