2023-11-29 09:10:46
Eden Hazard retired, Kevin Of Bruyne injured, Belgium is currently deprived of its two greatest aesthetes of the last decade. If Kevin De Bruyne was at the top of his game just before getting injured, Eden Hazard had a slightly more complicated end to his career at Real, but it should not make us forget the thrilling player that he was.
Opta unveiled this Tuesday a ranking where the two Devils monopolize the first positions and the eldest of the Hazard brothers even occupies first position. Eden Hazard is in fact the player who has created the greatest number of chances per 90 minutes in open play in the five major European championships over the last ten seasons among players with more than 100 starts.
If at Real he was less decisive, at Chelsea he carried the Blues attack on his shoulders for several seasons with 85 goals for 61 assists in 245 Premier League matches. With 2.6 chances created per 90 minutes, his stats might have been even higher. Especially since these 2.6 chances only come from full play phases and not from set phases. With his swaying dribbles, the former Lille player was poison for English defenses and can boast of being the most dangerous player in the major championships over the last ten seasons.
Behind him, we find Kevin De Bruyne, tied with the astonishing Thomas Muller with 2.5 chances created. The German’s atypical style is deceptive. His clumsy appearance hides an ultra-decisive player. Kevin De Bruyne has been shining for several seasons in the Premier League. And if for Eden Hazard, it is above all the quality of infiltration which allowed him to put himself in a good position to finish or serve his teammates in ideal conditions, for KDB, it is above all the quality of his passing which allows him to find his attackers from almost any position.
In fourth place, we find another maestro, Mesut Ozil, who might undoubtedly have claimed the podium if the data had been taken a little earlier. Indeed, these 2.4 chances created per 90 minutes only concern his time at Arsenal since they are calculated over the last ten seasons and the German left Real Madrid in 2013. However, with 19 goals and 54 assists decisive in 104 La Liga matches, plus the numerous actions which did not end up in the back of the net, the left-hander might undoubtedly have increased his statistics somewhat, even if he had a few good seasons with the Gunners.
If some names like Neymar (2,3) or Messi (2,2) seem quite logical, others may be a little more surprising, such as the presence ofHamsik. The Slovak is, however, Napoli’s most capped player and has only been surpassed by Dries Mertens as top scorer in the history of the club of which he was the spearhead for a long time.
This ranking also smacks of nostalgia since apart from Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealishstill present at Manchester City, all the other players in the top 10 have either stopped their careers or left Europe, with the exception of Joseph Ilicicwho following his depression returned to play at home in Slovenia.
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