Antonio
Conte says Eden Hazard needs to win football's biggest trophies if he wants
to compete for the Ballon d'Or.
The 2017 award was won on Thursday by Cristiano Ronaldo, as Hazard finished
19th in the running.
That meant Hazard only finished as the fourth highest Premier League player,
and Conte says the Belgium international must help his teams to more
trophies if he wants to improve on that result.
Conte said: "If you want to win the Ballon d'Or, you have to win (trophies);
the league, the Champions League, the World Cup, the European Championship.
"A top player must have the ambition to win the Champions League and the
World Cup. Otherwise he stays in the middle with the others.
"Eden is a young player and he has the potential to improve. He has the
potential to become one of the best."
Hazard has recently been linked with Real Madrid, and may have seen
Florentino Perez's comments about it being easier for big players to win the
Ballon d'Or at the Bernabeu.
Conte was unwilling to discuss Hazard's Chelsea future, although he was keen
to praise N'Golo Kante. The midfielder came eighth in the Ballon d'Or,
making him the highest placed Premier League player.
Conte said: "To finish eighth for the Ballon d'Or for a player like Kante is
not simple. To finish eighth is a great result.
"I am proud. I think all the people understand the capacity of the player. I
think he's a fantastic player. For me, in his role he's one of the best in
the world."
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