Chelsea News: Eden Hazard isn't far behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of natural ability, says Peter Crouch

By Rachel Syiemlieh

Modified Apr 13, 2019 08:45 GMT

Crouch has heaped praise on the Chelsea star

What's the story?

Burnley striker, Peter Crouch, has hailed Chelsea star, Eden Hazard, stating that the Belgian is not far behind five-time Ballon d'Or winning duo, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, when it comes to natural ability.

In case you didn't know...

Hazard boasts of having scored 16 Premier League goals so far this season, with 12 assists to his name as well. This means no player in the English top flight has contributed to more goals this season than the Belgian.

The 28-year-old, who has constantly been linked with a move to Real Madrid, proved his worth in Chelsea's 2-0 win against West Ham United on Monday, scoring a spectacular brace to fire his side to third place in the league.

The heart of the matter

Crouch has heaped praise on the Chelsea star in his latest Daily Mail column and boldly compared the Belgian's natural ability to that of Messi and Ronaldo.

In the column, the Burnley man said,

"I watched Hazard dance his way around West Ham's defenders on Monday night and, once again, he had me out of my seat."

"It looks amazing on TV but, believe me, to do something like he did at Stamford Bridge gets even more appreciation from those within the game."

"The speed, the pace, the electric burst through tight spaces and the finish were just breathtaking."

"He is not as consistent as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of scoring goals but he really isn't far behind when it comes to natural ability."

Crouch added that Hazard should even be considered for the PFA Player of the Year award, given his accomplishments this season.

"Hazard has been involved in 28 Premier League goals so far this season - 16 goals, 12 assists - which is the best tally by a distance in our division. Only Messi (45) and Kylian Mbappe (33) can better his total in Europe."