Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the Ballon d’Or in the past, but Thibaut Courtois believes Eden Hazard will be in contention in coming seasons.
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Either Messi or Ronaldo have won the prestigious award the past seven years, dominating the game of football with it. Courtois thinks this will change in the coming years.
Hazard was one of the driving forces behind Chelsea’s successful season, scoring 19 goals and being recognized for his accomplishments by winning the PFA and Football Writer’s Player of the Year.
With Hazard’s recent achievements and promising future, Courtois believes that the Belgium star will have what it takes to claim the distinguished Ballon d’Or award.
“He’s a potential Golden Ball winner,” Courtois told FourFourTwo. “We have to see what Messi and Ronaldo do. They score so many goals that in this moment it is always one of them who will win. But Eden has the capacity of winning it. This season he was decisive for us. Maybe he can be sometimes a little bit more, but we followed his lead to the title.”
The keeper was also decisive for Chelsea, as he was one of the best in the Premier League. It was a tough transition for the 23-year-old, as he had been on loan to Atletico Madrid for the past three years before returning to Chelsea for this past term and beating out Petr Cech for first team.
“The main difference [between the Premier League and La Liga] is the intensity of the game. The corners, the free-kicks, the crosses into the box,” he added. “There’s more pressure on you as a goalkeeper but I think I handle it well with the technique I have coming for crosses – it’s what I learned when I was young in Belgium.”
With the duo of Courtois and Hazard, Chelsea is a powerhouse on both ends of the pitch. And, if Hazard continues to produce a large amount of goals, Messi and Ronaldo better watch out.
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