Hazard eyes Ballon d’Or!

Eden Hazard is confident he can one day land the Ballon d’Or playing for Chelsea, but accepts he may have to wait for perennial winners Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to retire.

Ronaldo and Messi have combined to win the last nine but Hazard has made a strong case for consideration for the 2017 prize by playing a key role in Chelsea’s title bid. And the 26-year-old Belgium playmaker is optimistic his chances will not be harmed by playing in the Premier League.

He said: “I hope to win the Ballon d’Or one day. It’s in my mind.
“If I don’t, it won’t be a problem. I try to make a good career – the best I can – but I think some other players deserve to win it also.

“When Ronaldo and Messi retire, maybe it will be another couple of players like Neymar, Paulo Dybala or Antoine Griezmann, who knows? We will see. It’s not something I think too much about.

“Could I win it? If I play next season, we win the Champions League and I win the World Cup with Belgium, why not?

“In the last 10 years, the Ballon d’Or winners play in Spain, but it’s not automatic. If a player is better in England, he will win it.”