Antonio Rudiger Claims Chelsea Teammate Eden Hazard Is the Second Best Player in the World
Antonio Rudiger has stated his bold belief that Chelsea teammate Eden Hazard is the second best player in the world, with only Lionel Messi rated more highly by the German defender.
Rudiger managed to nullify the threat of Kylian Mbappe in Germany's UEFA Nations League debut against France last week.
Many people consider Mbappe to be the natural successor to Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the kings of world football, but Rudiger believes that there is another name which has not been considered.
"Mbappe is unbelievably fast, really good. To stop him, you have to do it as a team, because alone...good luck!" said Rudiger, quoted by FourFourTwo.
"But for me, the best in the world is Messi, then Hazard."
Hazard was outstanding at the World Cup, scoring three goals and providing two assists as Belgium recorded their best ever finish at an international tournament by placing third.
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This rich vein of form has continued into the Premier League season, where Hazard has scored goals against Newcastle and Bournemouth, as well as providing assists in Chelsea's other two matches against Huddersfield and Arsenal.
These goals have helped Chelsea to maintain a 100% winning start to the season under new manager Maurizio Sarri.
Rudiger, a 2016 signing from Roma, has played every minute under Sarri so far, and seems to have established himself as first choice centre back ahead of Andreas Christensen and Gary Cahill.
