Last Updated: 22nd July 2012
EDEN HAZARD wants to become the Premier League’s answer to Lionel Messi.
Related Stories
The Belgium midfielder, 21, is not in the least bit fazed by the expectations generated by his £32million move from Lille to Chelsea.
In fact he is happy to be compared to World Footballer of the Year and Barcelona hero Messi after rejecting every top club in Europe to sign for the Blues.
Speaking for the first time since his cross-Channel move, Hazard told SunSport: “Messi is the world’s best player and it’s a bit of an exaggeration to say I can be that good.
“But I am happy if people see similarities between us and being compared to Messi makes me think about what I can achieve with Chelsea rather than the obstacles I need to overcome to get there.
“Ultimately it’s the coach who will decide if I play in a similar role to the one Messi plays for Barca but I am looking to succeed the Eden Hazard way.”
The former French Footballer of the Year turned down offers from Manchester City and Manchester United this summer in favour of a £150,000-a-week Chelsea deal.
And he admits that it was the prospect of joining the reigning European champions which ultimately swayed his decision.
He said: “Chelsea had the most convincing argument for me to join and obviously being the Champions League winners was a big factor in my choice.
“Chelsea is a fantastic club with fantastic players and they can give me the best possible chance to progress as a player.
“It’s a slightly less important reason but London is also a bit closer to Belgium than Manchester and I can get home a little easier from here.”
Hazard was recommended to Real Madrid by his boyhood idol Zinedine Zidane and also attracted interest from Italian giants Inter Milan.
But he was always going to move to England after seven years in France.
He explained: “I have a particular affinity to the Premier League. It’s the best league in the world and it’s a really exciting challenge to be a part of that.
“The atmosphere inside the stadiums is better than anywhere else in the world and it’s also a very competitive league with a lot of teams capable of winning it.
“Last season showed it is always an exciting competition and when you look at what Manchester City have been doing in the last couple of years, you know they will continue to progress.
“Moving to England is stepping up to a different level and definitely involves more pressure. But I am ready for that.”
Hazard has already shown Chelsea fans what he is capable of with a goal in Wednesday’s win against Seattle Sounders, his first game for his new club.
He will be looking to keep that form going against Carlo Ancelotti’s Paris Saint-Germain in New York’s Yankee Stadium tonight as Chelsea’s US tour continues.
And it is just possible Eden will not be the only Hazard for Chelsea’s rivals to worry about.
Brother Thorgan, 19, is also being linked with a move to the Bridge after turning down a new deal with Lens.
Eden, though, is giving nothing away on that one. He added: “You’ll have to ask Thorgan about that.”
Video: Oscar to wait on future
No comments:
Post a Comment