salah vs hazard
“I’d pay to see Hazard first, but if I’m picking a team to go and win a game, I’m picking Salah.”
Using only objective facts and statistics, it’s time to settle this long-standing Dispute once and for all…
Individual HonourS
Firstly, the pair’s respective individual honours will be examined, with particular focus on their Ballon d’Or rankings, Premier League accolades, and international awards.
Ballon d'or Rankings
When nominated, Salah’s mean Ballon d’Or ranking = 6.8, whereas Hazard’s = 15.33.
In the years they were both nominated, Salah ranked higher than Hazard on each occasion.
Hazard never once ranked in the top five, whist Salah has done twice (2019, 2022).
Salah’s best Ballon d’Or finish (5th) beats Hazard’s highest (8th).
Ballon d’Or legacy = Salah 🔴 — Salah edges Hazard in Ballon d'Or recognition, with higher finishes, more top-ten appearances, and greater longevity at the elite level.
Premier league accolades
Premier League Accolades = Salah 🔴 — Salah edges Hazard in individual Premier League accolades, with greater consistency, volume, and end-of-season recognition.
International aWARDS
🇪🇬 Mohamed Salah:
CAF African Footballer of the Year (2017, 2018)
BBC African Footballer of the Year (2017, 2018)
FIFA Puskás Award (2018)
FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball (2019)
IFFHS CAF Best Player of the Decade (2011–2020)
🇧🇪 Eden Hazard:
FIFA World Cup Silver Ball (2018)
FIFA World Cup Dream Team (2018)
UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament (2016)
Belgian Golden Shoe - Best Belgian Abroad (2017, 2018, 2019)
Belgian Sportsman of the Year (2018)
International Awards = Salah 🔴 / Hazard 🔵 — There is little to split their individual accomplishments on the international stage: Hazard is more recognised at major tournaments; however, Salah leads in continental and global accolades.
Team Honours
Now, let’s contrast the pair’s trophy cabinet, both at club and international level.
club Honours
*As of 26/03/2025
**Both have also won the English Football League Cup
Club Honours = Hazard 🔵 — Hazard edges the club trophy count overall, though it must be acknowledged that several of his honours with Real Madrid came with limited involvement due to persistent injuries.
International Honours
🇪🇬 Mohamed Salah:
Africa Cup of Nations – Runner-up (2017, 2021)
FIFA World Cup – Group stage (2018)
Captain of Egypt since 2019, leading his side at the 2021 & 2023 AFCONs
🇧🇪 Eden Hazard:
FIFA World Cup – 3rd Place (2018)
UEFA Euro – Quarter-finals (2016, 2020)
Captain of Belgium during their golden generation, including the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2016 & 2020 campaigns.
International Honours = Salah 🔴 / Hazard 🔵 — There is little to split them in terms of international honours: neither has won a major senior trophy, with Hazard leading Belgium to a World Cup third-place finish — though for a golden generation expected to go further — and Salah captaining Egypt to two AFCON finals.
‘Stat Wars’
Salah’s very often simply dubbed a ‘stat merchant’. Let’s find out why, with explicit focus on their output in the Premier League and Champions League for a fair comparison.
PREMIER LEAGUE GOALS & ASSISTS
Salah scored a record-breaking 32 goals in the 2017/18 season, whilst Hazard never scored more than 16 over the course of a league campaign.
Hazard’s best season (2018/19) saw 31 goal contributions (16 goals, 15 assists), whilst Salah has recorded 30+ goal contributions in five separate seasons.
Salah has maintained consistent output across all seasons since moving to Merseyside, whilst Hazard endured a major dip in 2015/16, registering just 4 goals and 3 assists in the league.
As of March 2025, Salah sits joint 5th on the Premier League’s all-time goalscorer list with 184 goals, while Hazard’s tally of 85 places him well outside the top rankings. In assists, Salah also makes the top 10 with 86, whereas Hazard’s 54 leaves him some way off the all-time elite.
Premier League Goals & Assists = Salah 🔴 — There’s a reason Salah’s dubbed a ‘stat merchant’ — he comfortably outperforms Hazard in Premier League goals and assists, with greater consistency, higher peaks, and sustained end-product across multiple seasons.
Champions league goals & Assists
🇪🇬 Mohamed Salah:
As of March 2025, Salah has scored 51 goals in 88 Champions League appearances, averaging 0.58 goals per match.
He has provided 17 assists, averaging 0.19 assists per match.
🇧🇪 Eden Hazard:
Hazard scored 10 goals in 63 Champions League appearances, averaging 0.16 goals per match.
He provided 15 assists, averaging 0.24 assists per match.
Champions League Goals & Assists = Salah 🔴 — In Europe’s premier competition, Salah has amassed 51 goals and 17 assists in 88 appearances, significantly outperforming Hazard's 10 goals and 15 assists over 63 appearances.
Who is the ‘better footballer’?
For many on Hazard’s side of the debate, the common claim is that whilst Salah undeniably boasts superior output, Hazard will always be the superior ‘footballer’. But what exactly defines a ‘superior footballer’? We believe there’s only one objective way to settle it: a shared FIFA card.
We believe these specific attributes best embody a player’s overall footballing ability. Using their individual data, we’ll break down each stat to determine who truly ranks as the ‘better footballer’.
Our analysis will focus explicitly on the 2017/18 and 2018/19 Premier League seasons — the period in which both players were competing simultaneously in top flight of English football. A mean calculation will be drawn from each of their individual statistics from across the two seasons. Thus, each stat you see can be interpreted as "average ‘x’ per season”.
Pace = Salah 🔴 / Hazard 🔵
Both could boast top sprint speeds of around 35 km/h over the course of the two seasons and average distances covered of approximately 9 km per match.
However, with limited raw individual sprint data available, it’s only fair to conclude there is little to split them here.
Shooting = Salah 🔴
Salah vs Hazard (2017-2019 average):
Goals: 27 vs 14
Shots: 140.5 vs 82
Shots on target: 65.5 vs 40
Shooting accuracy: 46.6% vs 49%
Conversion rate: 19.15% vs 17.1%
xG: 22.64 vs 13.47 xG
Goals per match: 0.73 vs 0.39
Salah is the superior finisher, averaging 27 goals from an xG of 22.64, whilst Hazard averaged 14 goals from an xG of 13.47, showing that Salah not only produced more but consistently exceeded expectations.
Passing = Hazard 🔵
Salah vs Hazard (2017-2019 average):
Assists: 9 vs 9.5
Chances created: 64.5 vs 98.5
Passing accuracy: 76% vs 84%
Progressive passes: 149 vs 233.5
Through balls: 5.5 vs 18.5
Despite similar assist numbers, Hazard is the superior passer, with greater accuracy, more progressive passes, and notably more through balls, highlighting his more prominent influence on build-up play.
Dribbling = Hazard 🔵
Salah vs Hazard (2017-2019 average):
Successful dribbles: 76.5 vs 151.5
Dribbles per ninety: 2.07 vs 4.93
Bases on these statistics, Hazard is the far superior dribbler, averaging nearly twice as many successful dribbles per season as Salah, with a higher frequency and efficiency that reflected his central role in ball progression.
Defending & Physicality = Hazard 🔵
Salah vs Hazard (2017-2019 average):
Ground duels won: 126.5 vs 254
Ground duel success rate: 38.95% vs 61.82%
Hazard won significantly more ground duels across both seasons, suggesting greater defensive involvement. However, a full comparison is limited by the lack of reliable pressures-per-90 data — a statistic in which Salah likely excelled as a key component of Klopp’s relentless gegenpressing system during these years. Furthermore, these defensive attributes were not central to either player’s game, with both operating as wingers on the front foot and renowned for their offensive contributions.
conclusions
Total Scores:
Salah 🔴 = 7
Hazard 🔵 = 7
Individual Honours:
In recognition of their footballing prowess, Salah claims the edge in individual accolades. He consistently ranked higher in the Ballon d’Or and has received more Premier League awards.
Team Honours:
In terms of team honours, Hazard holds the slight edge. He’s won more major trophies overall, including two Premier League and Europa League titles, despite limited involvement in some of his later successes.
‘Stat Wars’:
When it comes to individual output, Salah clearly comes out on top. He has scored and assisted at a higher rate across multiple seasons, with greater consistency and end-product in both the Premier League and Champions League.
Who is the ‘better footballer’?
Hazard’s stronger dribbling and passing demonstrate his greater involvement in build-up play, giving him the edge in overall footballing ability.
What we argue:
Let’s refer back to Rio Ferdinand’s quote at the start of this piece: “I’d pay to see Hazard first, but if I’m picking a team to go and win a game, I’m picking Salah.” From an objective analysis of the duo, Ferdinand’s comment certainly holds significant weight. Whilst Hazard may be the more ‘entertaining’ player with his superior dribbling and passing statistics, Salah’s remarkable output cannot be understated. Thus, we side with Salah — his goals and assists are simply too significantly higher and more consistent to ignore. And, Hazard agrees…
Schtein, Hazard vs Salah Debate Settled
But, do you dispute this?
Now it’s your turn to get involved in the debate. Leave your thoughts and Dispute Ball in the comments below…
