Despite Messi and Ronaldo's domination in the past 10 years, Chelsea playmaker, Eden Hazard has admitted that he will have one eye on the Ballon d'Or after Chelsea is crowned the Premier League champions.
Hazard presented with the Barclays Player of the Season in 2015
Eden Hazard admits that after Chelsea's expected Premier League title triumph, he will have one eye on the Ballon d'Or.
Should either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo win again in 2017, the pair will have dominated the award for 10 years, but Hazard believes it can be won by a player in England.
Ahead of Chelsea's clash with West Brom on Friday night, where three points will crown them Premier League champions, live on Sky Sports 1 HD, Hazard told Sky Sports News HQ: "I hope to win the Ballon d'Or one day.
"It's in my mind. If I don't, it won't be a problem. I try to make a good career - the best I can - but I think some other players deserve to win it also.
"When Ronaldo and Messi retire, maybe it will be another couple of players like Neymar, Paulo Dybala or Antoine Griezmann, who knows? We will see. It's not something I think too much about.
"Could I win it? If I play next season, we win the Champions League and I win the World Cup with Belgium, why not?
"In the last 10 years, the Ballon d'Or winners play in Spain, but it's not automatic. If a player is better in England, he will win it."
Hazard narrowly missed out on the PFA Player of the Year award to team-mate N'Golo Kante last week but the winger has been instrumental once again to Chelsea's success.
"We want to celebrate on Friday, then come back to Stamford Bridge and celebrate with the fans," he said.
"We just need to win the game. We all know if we win, we will be champions, so maybe we have a lot of pressure, but we are almost there.
"For me, it's the same (feeling as when we won the title two years ago). The target is always to win trophies. The feeling is always a good one. Two years ago to now, we have one thing in common, which is to win."