Why this EPL star could be as good as Messi, Ronaldo and Ribery

Eden Hazard has spoken highly of his ambitions to rank alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as one of the best players in the world one day, and received backing from manager Jose Mourinho, who believes that he could reach that level if he continues his progress.

Hazard has been a revelation since signing for Chelsea in the summer of 2012 and is currently regarded as one of the finest players currently plying their trade in the Premier League, but what can he do to to be spoken of in the same tones as Messi, Ronaldo and Franck Ribery.

For one, as Mourinho pointed out, it is goals that get you the attention and maybe Hazard is too team orientated to hog the limelight, while his contemporaries are confident enough to take the game by the scruff of the neck and make things happen.

The best players have that ability and self-belief to win games on their own and while Hazard has nine goals for the season, it gives him a goals per game ratio of 0.40, which pales in comparison to the players he wishes to emulate.

Ribery is scoring at a rate of 0.57 goals per game, Messi at 0.75 in what has been a poor season by his standards, while Ronaldo has bagged an impressive 1.08 goals per game he has featured in for Real Madrid.

Hazard’s shot accuracy is an impressive 64% which only Messi can equal, but this comes from fewer shots on goal, with the Belgian taking on average just 2.1 shots per game, while Ronaldo has been averaging 7.89 and Messi 6.27, so Hazard needs to take more responsibility and become the driving force of the Chelsea side.

While he is considered the take-on king in the Premier League having completed more than anybody else in England currently, his average of 4.12 take-ons per game still trails the averages of Messi and Ribery, who complete 5.93 and 6.80 on average every game they feature in.

On the other hand Hazard makes more key passes than both Ronaldo and Messi, averaging 2.55 per game, with only Ribery making more with his 2.62, suggesting Hazard is perhaps too much of a team player to receive the accolades the bourgeoisie of the game are bestowed.

There is no doubt Hazard possesses all the tools to reach the heights of these trio and land himself in contention for the FIFA Ballon D’Or, but he needs to assume more responsibility and be more selfish to grab the spotlight away from them.

His conversion rate stands at an impressive 27.9%, so if he took the impetus more often and fired in more shots, he could well put himself alongside the game’s greats.

If Mourinho is to truly back him for individual honours, Chelsea need to play around him like Real Madrid and Barcelona have done to accommodate their star players and give him the platform to steal the headlines and the show.