Eden Hazard Named PFA Player Of The Year, Can Belgian Now Rival Lionel Messi And Cristiano Ronaldo?

Eden Hazard has been named as the PFA Player of the Year at a celebration in London on the same day that Chelsea took a giant step to re-claiming the Premier League title.

The 24-year-old Belgian forward beat Manchester United’s David De Gea and Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane to the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award. Hazard has been a revelation for Chelsea this season, scoring 13 goals and making eight assists as the London club have dominated the Premier League.

Speaking after picking up the award, Hazard admitted, via the BBC, that he was pleased to have been recognised by his fellow professionals.

“I’m very happy. One day I want to be the best and what I did this season is play very well, Chelsea played very well. I don’t know if I deserve to win but it is good for me. It is better to be voted by the players — they know everything about football.

“Personally, I have played a good season, I have been there in the big games and I scored a lot of important goals, this is why I’m better this season.”

Eden Hazard played in Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium earlier on Sunday, a result that all but confirmed that Chelsea would win the Premier League title later this season.

Hazard’s form has seen him linked to a transfer to both Real Madrid and Barcelona, and this accolade will now see him compared to these teams’ star players, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, both of whom are considered the best soccer players in the world, even more fervently.

But can Hazard reach the level where these two phenomenons currently reside? Well Jose Mourinho already believes that he is worth at least £200 million ($300 million), and the fact that Hazard has already proved that he has the strength, speed, quick feet, finishing and intelligence to excel in the more physical Premier League means that he would probably be even deadlier in the less robust La Liga. However Hazard is adamant that his future lies at Stamford Bridge, and he told Sky Sports, via Sports Keeda, that he now wants to win the Champions League with Chelsea.

Twenty-one-year-old Harry Kane, who has scored 30 goals this season during a prolific campaign for Tottenham Hotspur, was rewarded with the PFA Young Player of the Year award. Speaking after being presented with the gong, Kane remarked, “It is amazing. It is a very proud moment for myself and my family — hopefully the first of many to come.”

[Image via Scary Football]