Hazard probably the world’s best – Barkley

Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley believes team-mate Eden Hazard is currently ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world.

Hazard scored a superb late winner in the Blues’ 2-1 Carabao Cup third-round victory at Liverpool on Wednesday, firing an emphatic shot past Simon Mignolet at the end of a brilliant run into the box.

The Belgium forward has also netted five times in Chelsea’s opening six Premier League games, of which they have won five and drawn the other.

After Wednesday’s match he was described by Chelsea assistant boss Gianfranco Zola as one of the best players in the world, while the club’s former captain John Terry went a step further, saying in an Instagram post that Hazard is number one on that front.

And when Barkley was asked about Hazard, he said: “He is establishing himself in the top three players in the world now, and at the minute, he’s probably the best player in the world.

“He is producing things like that on the pitch – it’s fantastic.”

When then asked about Messi and Ronaldo, Barkley added: “They are probably a lot more selfish than Eden is.

“He is not a selfish player. He is happy with getting two assists and the team winning. But he is adding goals and he keeps improving.

“What he produced against Liverpool, he’s doing that every day in training, so it’s no surprise to us.

“At the minute, he is the best player in the world, I believe.”