Eden Hazard names the six best players he played alongside, including surprise Chelsea flop…

Eden Hazard has been fortunate enough to play alongside some of the best players of his generation and he recently named the six best players he has played alongside.

During a recent interview on the Obi One Podcast, Hazard re-called his time with Lille, Chelsea and Real Madrid and managed to narrow down the best players he’s played alongside to six names.

The 33-year-old was spoilt for choice, given the big names he’s played alongside, although he did include one surprising name. Here are the six teammates that Hazard named during the interview.

Kevin De Bruyne

This one goes without saying. Of all the names that Hazard mentioned, De Bruyne was the only national teammate that he included and for good reason.

During their prime years, both players were arguably the best players in the Premier League and in the case of De Bruyne, he probably still is.

While Belgium’s Golden Generation never managed to win any silverware, Hazard and De Bruyne were a joy to watch on the pitch together. It’s a shame they never managed to win any trophies together on the international stage.

Frank Lampard

While Hazard only spent a couple of years playing alongside Lampard, he was quick to recognise the Chelsea legend as one of the best players he ever played alongside.

It seems to be a mutual feeling too as Lampard was quick to recognise Hazard as one of the best players he’s ever played with during an interview in 2017.

“He’s [Hazard] at the top of the tree in terms of ability on the ball, awareness and skill,” Lampard to Sky Sports in 2017.

“His skill on the ball, how he does it at speed, he’s just a world class player.”

Juan Mata

Hazard only spent a year and a half playing alongside Mata at Stamford Bridge, but the Spanish playmaker clearly made an impression on him during that time.

Mata’s years at Chelsea were probably the best years of his career. With 90 goal contributions in just 135 appearances for the club, the Spaniard was absolutely brilliant during his time in London.

READ: 7 reasons why Juan Mata deserves a place in every football fan’s heart

Luka Modric

It’s a crying shame that La Liga fans never got to see the best of Hazard, but the Belgian winger was still quick to name some Real Madrid stars as the best players he has played alongside.

The Croatian midfielder is undoubtedly one of the best players of his generation and is a worthy inclusion from Hazard on this list. Given Hazard’s injuries, it’s a shame they didn’t get more of a chance to play alongside one another.

Karim Benzema

During Hazard’s time at the Santiago Bernabeu, Benzema was arguably the best player at the club. The Frenchman stepped up upon Cristiano Ronaldo leaving and enjoyed some of his best years post-2018.

His finest season at the club came in 2021-22 as he scored 44 goals and spearheaded Real Madrid’s Champions League campaign.

During that season, Hazard only played 903 minutes of football, but he was still close enough to the action to recognise Benzema’s greatness.

Gael Kakuta

A somewhat surprising inclusion, but Hazard was adamant that Kakuta was one of the best players he played with. The DR Congo international spent six years on the books at Stamford Bridge, but only made 16 senior appearances.

The winger spent the majority of his time at Chelsea out on loan and left the club in 2015 after he struggled to break into the starting XI.

Despite Kakuta’s shortcomings in England, Hazard claimed that the winger was one of the most naturally talented players that he had ever seen during his early years in France.

“You asked me talent. Kakuta by far number one. Talent. I mean, talent. Wow,” Hazard said.

“I think now is easy to say but I think it went a bit too early [to] Chelsea. He was 16 when he when he when he left France for Chelsea, you know? And that step at 16 is a huge step.”

These days you can catch Kakuta playing in the French second division for Amiens.

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