Eden Hazard

[KingLeo10]

Prime Messi > both. No one has scored more dribble run solo goals or assists than this guy.

Although in terms of variety, prime Neymar is the best of the lot. His peak version in 2015 had absolutely everything.

All three head and shoulders above the rest of the generation...the next tier being the likes of Robben, Ribery, Di Maria, Salah etc.

 

[Temptation]

Prime Messi > both. No one has scored more dribble run solo goals or assists than this guy.

Although in terms of variety, prime Neymar is the best of the lot. His peak version in 2015 had absolutely everything.

All three head and shoulders above the rest of the generation...the next tier being the likes of Robben, Ribery, Di Maria, Salah etc.

Mentioned Messi being the clear number 1(no debate there) but Hazard has to be next up.


Simply because unlike Neymar he had immense strength on the ball. Neymar is physically weak. Hazard can't be fouled and kicked out of the game. Similar to Messi, when Hazard starts dribbling you just can't stop him.


Most of Neymar's great dribbles are on the flanks where you can use your pace to beat your man. Hazard's dribbles used to penetrate the tightest of defenses through the middle and effortlessly so.


If you noticed the short clips I posted, you'll see that strong defenders and midfielders are simply bouncing off Hazard when he's carrying the ball.



Hazard's dribbling style is no-nonsense like Messi and doesn't have flashy skills but in terms of close control and dribbling through tight defenses in the middle, he's only second to the great man.

 

[KingLeo10]

Mentioned Messi being the clear number 1(no debate there) but Hazard has to be next up.


Simply because unlike Neymar he had immense strength on the ball. Neymar is physically weak. Hazard can't be fouled and kicked out of the game. Similar to Messi, when Hazard starts dribbling you just can't stop him.


Most of Neymar's great dribbles are on the flanks where you can use your pace to beat your man. Hazard's dribbles used to penetrate the tightest of defenses through the middle and effortlessly so.


If you noticed the short clips I posted, you'll see that strong defenders and midfielders are simply bouncing off Hazard when he's carrying the ball.



Hazard's dribbling style is no-nonsense like Messi and doesn't have flashy skills but in terms of close control and dribbling through tight defenses in the middle, he's only second to the great man.

I mean, it's splitting hairs. Hazard is also exceptional and head and shoulders above everyone but the other two. Hazard is basically Messi but a touch slower (prime to prime) and lower goalscoring ability.

Agree that he was stronger than Neymar, but Neymar (2015 version) was very, very agile in terms of feints and turn of direction. Hazard had the better balance though.

 

[khaled_a_d]

Someone should tell Eden that you can excite the fans, score goals, get assists and win trophies.

Neymar was his competitor and i doubt ppl will say Neymar wasnt pure entertainment

Hazard was talking about Haaland

 

[BerkeleyBernie]

🚨🗣️ Eden Hazard : "Nowadays, you have players, whom I won't name, who score 3 tap-ins and people say 'WOW'." 👀⚽⬇️

"They play in big teams, they help their teams win, yes... But apart from the supporters of their team, they don't EXCITE anyone. They don't EXCITE ME at all."

"For me, my best match was against Brazil. I had 0 G/A, I even missed some chances, but I made the people dream..."

"For me, that was the player I always wanted to be. Exciting people. Today, the only thing that matters is having goals and assists."

Absolutely. I just don't get fans who only care about winning. I'd rather see great team play and moments of magic than win a game. Soccer at it's best should be entertaining and beautiful. The artists are always going to be the ones I want to watch, not the athletic cyborgs.

 

[BerkeleyBernie]

Hazard was talking about Haaland

Yeah, I'd disagree about Haaland. I find him entertaining and artistic. He comes up with some crazy shit. Luis Suarez is another striker who would just creatively manufacture something to get a ball into the net.

 

[Temptation]

🗣️ Who are the better players than you in terms of talent in football?

🤔 Eden Hazard: "Individually, Messi is perhaps the only one. I enjoyed seeing the one in Barcelona, but less towards the end, but he is the greatest player in history. Cristiano Ronaldo is a greater player than me but, in terms of pure football, honestly, I don't think so."

(SPORTbible)


Hazard on Ronaldo.

 

[khaled_a_d]

Yeah, I'd disagree about Haaland. I find him entertaining and artistic. He comes up with some crazy shit. Luis Suarez is another striker who would just creatively manufacture something to get a ball into the net.

Maybe, but in his full statement during the interview he points that football is heading toward efficiency teaching rather than artistic ways, and that there are no variety in the game anymore.
And he is right, poacher and efficient players were always present but it happened hand in hand with more entertainers, you had Luca Toni, Inzaghi & Klose during the times when we had Kaka, Ronaldo & Totti.
Today kids from young age are learned to suppress the dribbling and risky plays. I mean since Neymar the closest thing to such type of player Hazard is talking about is Vini, which is underwhelming to say at least.

Overall I would say Hazard is correct, football is heading toward certain type

 

[Don Juan Laporta Estruch]

Hazard is just talking his own book here. Over emphasising joga bonita because he doesn't have the numbers to back up his claims of greatness.

He's got no business being talked about with these names. He went one whole season scoring only four goals for Chelsea. Did nothing at all in the Champions League or internationally. And his level of joga bonita is not even at the level he talks about. Neymar had twice the flair and was miles more talented.

Joga Bonita is important sure, but it doesn't excuse coming to a weak La Liga and not being able to handle it. What next, Coutinho saying he is at the same table as Kaka, Platini and Zico because of his joga bonita? Give me a break.

 

[Andresito]

Hazard and Neymar are very close indeed. Think Hazard just edges him but I wouldn't argue with people saying it's Neymar.

Messi though

Dribbles completed per season. A little unfair to Neymar though as he's always had injuries, especially in 17/18 where he was on course to beat a lot of those records, if not all. He missed like 25 games.

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

Hazard and Neymar are very close indeed. Think Hazard just edges him but I wouldn't argue with people saying it's Neymar.

Messi though

Dribbles completed per season. A little unfair to Neymar though as he's always had injuries, especially in 17/18 where he was on course to beat a lot of those records, if not all. He missed like 25 games.

What i notice Sito, all of them are under 1.80m except Cristiano Ronaldo. 1.87m and still being in top6, that's not normal. Probably the best >1.85m dribbling player we've ever seen!

 

[Andresito]

What i notice Sito, all of them are under 1.80m except Cristiano Ronaldo. 1.87m and still being in top6, that's not normal. Probably the best >1.85m dribbling player we've ever seen!

It isn't anything special really. That list sorts players after dribbles completed. Ronaldo played a lot of minutes so naturally he'll have a lot of dribbles completed. Success rate of 53% is alright, like Zaha and Sterling as you can see.
And that list is from 2009, I'm sure Ronaldo had higher success earlier than that. List was more to compare Messi, Ney and Hazard.

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

It isn't anything special really. That list sorts players after dribbles completed. Ronaldo played a lot of minutes so naturally he'll have a lot of dribbles completed. Success rate of 53% is alright, like Zaha and Sterling as you can see.
And that list is from 2009, I'm sure Ronaldo had higher success earlier than that. List was more to compare Messi, Ney and Hazard.

Damn these stats are unbelievable considering a lot of ppl say he can't dribble.

In 17/18 Neymar destroyed the ligue 1 with dribblings, Eden is lucky that Ney got injured

overall to finish this Hazard/Ney debate:

Hazard is definitely stronger and a bit better in tight spaces as his ball control is Messi style but in space i prefer Ney, he is faster and imo more agile with the body.

In that Brazil Belgium match Hazard was a beast but it was more difficult for Ney because Belgium parked the bus after scoring 2 early goals if i remember correctly so yeah it's more difficult for Ney to break that defence with his dribbling abilites.

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

He used to fly by opponents with his dribbling so much that he had 1 goal in 12-15 games v Ashley Cole at United.

Look at Eden Hazard, top dribbling but rarely scored