#3 Eden Hazard
Belgium’s emphatic round of 16 victory over a resilient and hardworking Hungary firmly established them as one of the favourites and the team to watch in the knockout stages of the competition. However, the match also marked Eden Hazard’s true arrival on the international stage. His performance on the night led many pundits to wax eloquent about him, and for many, it was the one of the best individual performance on the international stage in many years.
Hazard’s massive talent has never been a source of much doubt. A wily winger who possesses incredible pace and can turn on a sixpence. The Belgian while turning out for Chelsea has left many full-backs of the Premier League terrorised. However, the Belgium captain never really grabbed the limelight on the international stage until Hungary happened.
The mercurial winger was at his mesmerising best, floating past opponents at will, playing incisive through balls, and shooting with deadly accuracy. The Hungarian defence looked completely lost and clueless against him and were thankful when he was subbed off to a standing ovation in the dying embers of the game.
Belgium will be hoping for a similar showing from their captain tonight, while Wales would be hoping that they can subdue the threat of the 25-year-old.
