Hazard: Why Messi Deserves Ballon d’Or Award

Former Chelsea captain Eden Hazard has disclosed that Lionel Messi will be awarded the Ballon d’Or tonight.

But it is Messi, who led Argentina to World Cup gold last winter, who is the big favourite and Hazard thinks it’s obvious that Inter Miami’s star will win.

“It would not be logical not to give the Ballon d’Or to the best player in history in the year he won the World Cup,” the 32-year-old told Telefoot.

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Hazard, who recently announced his retirement, said Mbappé would have won the award if France had won the World Cup final.

“Without a doubt, 100 percent!”

Hazard began his football career playing for his hometown club Royal Stade Brainois at the age of four. During his time at the club, one of his youth coaches described him as a “gifted” player. He added: “He knew everything. I had nothing to teach him.”

Hazard spent eight years at the club before moving to AFC Tubize. While at Tubize, he was spotted by a Lille scout while playing in a local tournament with the club. The scout’s subsequent report on the player prompted club officials to meet with Hazard’s father and offer the young player an aspirant (youth) contract.

Hazard’s parents accepted the offer from Lille head of academy Jean-Michel Vandamme with hopes that the training facilities in France would be better.

Hazard’s father later admitted that the decision to let Eden and, later Thorgan, join clubs in the North of France was the best solution stating “They remained so close to home and, at the same time, they integrated at structures where they could grow, because in Belgium, unfortunately, it’s a little empty for the training of youth.”