Chelsea FC: Azpilicueta Says Hazard Will Win Ballon d’Or

Chelsea FC and Spain full back Cesar Azpilicueta has backed teammate Eden Hazard to win the Ballon d’Or.

As a footballer, the FIFA Ballon d’Or is the greatest personal achievement one can attain. Only the best of the best can lay hands on the coveted award.

Over the last seven years, possession of the  shiny golden ball has been kept by Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, with the Argentine taking it home four years in a row. Ronaldo has dominated for the past two years, being the outright clear winner.

Hazard’s name made it to last year’s shortlist, and Azpilicueta believes that he isn’t far from capturing the award.

The Belgian winger has been in fine form this season, helping Chelsea dominate the Premier League and win the Capital One Cup. He has scored 14 goals and assisted eight in 38 appearances.

He also kept the Blues firmly at the top of the Premier League standings with his goal against West Ham on Wednesday, helping them grind out a 1-0 victory at Upton Park.

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He is Chelsea’s ultimate danger man, getting past defenders with ease, scoring goals, creating chances and winning free kicks. He is an automatic threat with the ball at his feet, and opposition players can’t seem to slow him down without fouling him. He has been the most fouled player in the Premier League this season.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca, Azpilicueta was asked for his opinion on Ronaldo and Messi. He described them as “monsters,” and thinks that Hazard will soon belong in that bracket.

"“Eden is a great player, younger than them, and therefore has more capacity for improvement.”“I think in the future he could win the Ballon d’Or, he has the quality to it, but I see more focus on titles than achieving individual trophies. But yes, he has great quality and I think in the future we will see with the trophy in his hands.”-Cesar AzpilicuetaSource: Express"

Hazard is more focused on winning than anything else, his unselfish nature has probably gone against him on occasion. He seems more willing to create opportunities for his teammates than get on the score-sheet himself.

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This was quite apparent against West Ham two days ago. In the dying moments of the game, Cesc Fabregas played a pass which put the Belgian one-and-one with the Hammer’s goalkeeper; instead of shooting, he laid it off for Willian who had a better angle, but still could not convert, as the shot was blocked by a defender.

Hazard has his sights on winning titles with Chelsea, and recently signed a new five-year deal with the club. I’m pretty sure that he will win the Ballon d’Or at some point — probably multiple times — but for now, he’s going for the Premier League title.