Eden Hazard Chelsea

If Hazard wants, he can win the Ballon d’Or – Fabregas

Cesc Fabregas has talked up the potential of Chelsea team-mate Eden Hazard, touting him as a potential Ballon d’Or winner.

Football’s biggest individual honour has been scooped by either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi for each of the last 10 years, yet the Spain midfielder believes that his Belgian cohort is capable of inheriting the prize one day.

He did, however, suggest that the 27-year-old, who continues to be linked with Real Madrid and Manchester City , will have to show greater focus if he wants to hit those heights.

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“With Eden, if he wants to win the Ballon d'Or it's up to him,” he told Sky Sports . “He is a player who can do one on one, he can get possession of the ball, he can pass and has great ability with the ball.

“I've played football for a long time and played with top, top players and he has all the quality, I know what he can do.

"I have told him that it's up to him, I like to be honest. In my opinion, he has the quality.

"Without the ball he's very difficult to bring down and get the ball off him. When he is on top of his game he's up there with the very best."

Chelsea tackle Watford in the Premier League on Monday night, with the pressure on the Blues after a poor sequence of results that has seen manager Antonio Conte’s job come under question.

Hazard, who has eight goals and two assists in 21 Premier League outings this season, is one of the players that the coach will hope to be on form as they seek to leapfrog Liverpool and into third place. 

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