Eden Hazard Fancies a ‘Free’ Kevin De Bruyne Over Erling Haaland & Kylian Mbappe- ‘Best Player in the Word’

Published 02/19/2024, 12:17 PM HKT

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Who is the best soccer player in the world right now? Most fans and pundits would be inclined toward the fact that either Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland is worthy of being labeled as the world’s best. Mbappe won the World Cup when he was 19 and also seized five league titles with PSG. Haaland, on the other hand, shattered the Premier League’s scoring record last season and won the treble with Manchester City. Nevertheless, Chelsea legend Eden Hazard begs to differ from the majority of soccer fans out there. 

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Snubbing both Mbappe and Haaland, Hazard detailed how lethal his ex-teammate Kevin De Bruyne can be when ‘he has the ball.’ Notably, the Chelsea legend lavished such praise on De Bruyne when he redeemed Manchester City in crucial clashes after returning from a lengthy hamstring injury.

Kevin De Bruyne conquers the world with a ball at his feet, asserts Eden Hazard

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Eden Hazard had a freewheeling conversation with Chelsea icon John Obi-Mikel and crew in an exclusive interview on ‘The Obi One’ podcast. He said he regards French legend Zinedine Zidane and Lionel Messi as two all-time greats. Soon, the conversation ventured onto Kevin De Bruyne and his skill set. “You know, every time Kevin has the ball, he’s free. And you know, that’s why he’s the best. Because Kevin, free, is the best player not even in the Premier League, but in the world, for me,” said Eden Hazard.

Hazard notably shared the stage with Kevin De Bruyne on the Belgium national team and Chelsea. Both dominated the midfield in Belgium and formed what was called the nation’s ‘golden generation.’ The dynamic duo also led the national team to a third-position finish in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

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Hence, it is no surprise that Hazard thinks so highly of KDB. Anyhow, despite being an outlier to think De Bruyne is the world’s best, Hazard is not alone out there. Fellow City star Jack Grealish recently came up with a similar claim on the 32-year-old.

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When Jack Grealish thought like Hazard to praise De Bruyne

Manchester City missed Kevin De Bruyne’s services for most of the ongoing season because of his hamstring injury. But the day he resumed Premier League action, he performed the books. It was a match against Newcastle United, in which City trailed. Thanks to a clutch KDB, the Manchester side completed a stellar comeback. De Bruyne equalized in the 74th minute and set up Jeremy Doku for a game-winning goal at the death. Mesmerized by the display, Jack Grealish took to Instagram stories and labeled his teammate as the ‘GOAT.’

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De Bruyne has appeared for Manchester City only on 10 occasions this season. But all of those appearances were impactful. He scored twice and assisted eight times. Moreover, he played his part in all of Manchester City’s three goals in the Champions League knockout clash against Copenhagen. What is your take on KDB’s exploits? Do you agree with Hazard? Tell us in the comments.

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Written by:

Krishna Prasad M

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One take at a time

Krishna Prasad is Soccer Writer at EssentiallySports. Unlike others, his journey as a sports enthusiast was not colored by soccer initially. The 2006 FIFA World Cup, however, changed his perspective, as the beautiful game took up a small space in his heart.
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Edited by:

Aazima Basharat

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