In an interview with the Telegraph, the Chelsea winger modestly denied that he is amongst the top five players in the world.
Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has had a fantastic start to the season, with his team five points clear and top of the table. But the 23-year-old has denied that he is one of the world’s top five players, and has named the five he would say were better than himself.
“I’m not a top-five player yet,” Hazard told the Telegraph. “Maybe I’m close to it, but I still have to work on some aspects. You can only be part of that if you are decisive in the top games. I start doing that, like I did against Manchester City and Arsenal”. So who does the winger think is better than him? And what can he learn from them?
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5) Franck Ribery – Bayern Munich
In many ways Hazard is a similar player to Ribery, and in many ways he’s better. What has set Ribery apart is his willingness to adapt and learn. He never let his considerable ego get in the way of improving his game, and when Jupp Heynckes forced him to defend for the good of the team, he took his manager’s advice and was rewarded with a Champions League medal.
4) Arjen Robben – Bayern Munich
Everyone knows what Robben is about: running down the right hand flank, cutting inside onto his left and shooting. Hazard has far more in his locker in terms of ability, and tries a variety of skills and tricks to beat his man. What he must learn from Robben is that above all, his aim, once he’s within range of goal, is to have a shot. All too often he generously tries to slip a team-mate in when he should be shooting. Robben has never had that problem.
3) Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Paris Saint Germain
While Hazard must learn to shoot more often, he must not lose his flair and individualism. Zlatan’s style is totally unique to him, which makes it much more difficult for defenders to predict what he’ll do next. Like Zlatan, Hazard must not be afraid to try the unexpected or the outrageous.
1+2) Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – Barcelona and Real Madrid
In the Telegraph interview Hazard called these two the “extra-terrestrials”, which shows that he is aware how far ahead of the rest they are. Hazard has all the physical abilities and technical skill of these two, but will never reach their level without learning from them. First he must copy Ronaldo’s incredible work ethic and determination, his ceaseless desire for self-improvement both physically and statistically. Ronaldo has not eased off in the slightest since he became the world’s (joint) best, and Hazard must show the same dedication is he is to reach the Madrid man’s level.
Messi’s gifts on the pitch are far more subtle and almost impossible to emulate. But like Ronaldo, so much of his value is off the pitch. Despite the endless rumours about his bad character, the fact is that Messi has never let incidents off the pitch distract him. He is the world’s (joint) best player, but he is always humble and avoids celebrity status as much as possible. Hazard has done well not to get caught up in the life of a superstar so far, and must maintain that good reputation as his career progresses.