Chelsea have had a number of players who in their prime have been considered one of the world’s best, and one player believes he ranks ahead of both Gareth Bale and Franck Ribery.
As per Ballon d’Or placings, Chelsea currently have the eighth-best player in world football in Cole Palmer in their ranks, after his very impressive showing during the awards ceremony.
Not every player ranked so highly will continue that great form. Juan Sebastian Veron’s Chelsea career didn’t hit the heights after he made a move to the club in 2003.
Eighth place was also the highest that club legend Eden Hazard ever finished in the rankings, however this doesn’t exactly reflect just how good he was for the Blues in the seven years he was at Stamford Bridge.
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Eden Hazard says he was even better than Gareth Bale and Franck Ribery
Pedro Neto named Hazard as one of his favourite ever players, with him clearly the benchmark for any wingers joining the club.
The Belgian is clearly aware of just how good he was, with Hazard being tasked by EA Sports to stay silent until he heard a better player than himself.
After not speaking when asked about the likes of Estevao Willian and Joe Cole, he also didn’t say anything when asked to compare himself to Gareth Bale and Franck Ribery.
Hazard only ended the challenge when he was asked to choose out of him and Thierry Henry, with him conceding defeat at that point.
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Hazard’s incredible Chelsea stats
Hazard is the ninth top scorer in Chelsea history, a very impressive tally when realising that he never played in the striker position.
Eden Hazard Chelsea statsTotalGames352Goals110Assists88
There is certainly a reason why even Premier League rivals are so complimentary of the former Blue. James Maddison recently praised Hazard as one of the best players he has ever seen.
Chelsea will continue to try and find a player who lives up to those standards, and will hope that one of Palmer or Estevao can be their talisman for years to come.
