Eden Hazard has been named Chelsea’s highest-ranked player in FourFourTwo’s Best 100 Players in the World 2015.
The Belgian wing-wizard hoovered up the awards after helping the Blues win their first league title since 2010, including Premier League Player of the Season, PFA Players’ Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year.
And after being involved in 25 league goals last term, the 24-year-old breaks the top 20 of the FFT100, having been ranked at 26 in 2014 and 54 two years ago.
Hazard surely would have placed even higher had he and his Blues team-mates not made such a catastrophic start to the 2015/16 campaign, and several of Chelsea's players have fallen in the list as a result of the team's struggles.
Branislav Ivanovic and Oscar fail to feature at all, while Thibaut Courtois, Nemanja Matic, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas rank lower than 12 months ago.
Costa, 7th overall last time out, falls 37 places, while Fabregas slips down almost 50 spots in the list after failing to maintain his early 2014/15 form.
There is some good news for 26-year-old full-back Cesar Azpilicueta, however, with the steady Spaniard rising 11 places on last year to number 72 overall.
Chelsea’s travails has seen Manchester City overtake them as the most represented Premier League club in the FFT100. Kevin De Bruyne, allowed to leave Stamford Bridge by Jose Mourinho, is one of eight City players and is also the highest new entry after starring for Wolfsburg in 2014/15 and netting nine goals in 18 appearances to kick off his career back in England.
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Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.
