The FIFA Ballon D'or got 2014 off to the perfect start for Cristiano Ronaldo, as he held off Lionel Messi and Frank Ribery in one of the more hard-fought races of recent years. However, the name everyone is talking about now is the one that arrived in a distant 22nd place with 0.16% of the votes - Eden Hazard. Jose Mourinho's return to Chelsea has coincided with Hazard emerging as the side's talisman, one that gets the fans of their seats, and arguably more so than former fan favourite Juan Mata, who has been displaced as Chelsea's attacking fulcrum, and packed off to Manchester United. Hazard is starting to attract comparisons to that widely accepted top three of world performers, and while it would be foolish to state that he is already at their level, a sustained burst of brilliance at his current standard will surely see him in the top five come next year. Here are five reasons why Hazard will eventually be out on his own as the world's best player. Who do you think will rival him in years to come?
5. Adding Goals To His Game
Hazard's hat-trick on Saturday against Newcastle United brought him to 12 goals for the season, three more than he managed in the entire 2012-13 season. Two of them were instinctive brilliance, and one was a penalty, and all three showed why he is fast becoming the world's hottest property. One thing the current top two in the world have in abundance is goals. La Liga saw an incredible run of form from both Ronaldo and Messi. In all club and country competitions, Ronaldo managed 69 goals in 60 appearances, while Messi plundered 45 goals in 46 appearances. While it would be unfair to expect similar fireworks from someone who is merely an attacking midfielder, should Hazard continue at his current rate of improvement we can expect him to be challenging at the very top of the tree very soon. Frank Ribery earnt a healthy 23.36% of the vote for 2013 and his goals record is not astounding, but Hazard is already at that level. If he can continue his progress in both goals and assists he will be in the running for next season and beyond.
I am from Bangor, aged 24, and possess an MA in Journalism from The University Of Ulster. I have had work published in the Belfast Telegraph and interviewed several local footballers and Olympic athletes. I also run my own sports blog, 'Sporting Thought' in addition to contributing to What Culture.
