Mohamed Salah and Eden Hazard are two of the best Premier League wingers in history. Both men played in the English top flight during the second half of the 2010s before Hazard made an ill-fated move to Real Madrid.
While Hazard’s prime has fizzled out and his career is over, Salah is still going strong as the absolute best player in the Premier League. From a longevity perspective, Salah’s standing is clear of Hazard’s.
However, going back in time, which player was better at their absolute peak? That’s a question that continues to grip Premier League fans, especially the Liverpool and Chelsea faithful, who readily back their club icons.
Let’s take a closer look and compare these two legends of English football.
How good was Mohamed Salah in his prime?
Mohamed Salah is 31 years old, but the Egyptian superstar is still in his prime when looking at the numbers. Last season, he was one of the leading goal contributors in the Premier League with 19 goals and 12 assists.
Since Liverpool have bounced back in 2023/24 after making massive midfield upgrades in the summer, Salah’s numbers look even better.
He is sitting on 14 goals and 8 assists through 20 matches, putting him on pace to clear 20 goals and 10 assists for the third time in his Premier League career.
Salah’s best season came in 2017/18, which was actually his first one in Liverpool. That year, Salah scored 32 goals with 10 assists, which is just jaw-dropping scoring production from a winger.
A right-footed left winger, Salah is a rare breed and one of the most valuable players in the modern game, functioning as the striker for Liverpool, especially when Roberto Firmino was more of an all-rounder in the middle.
However, Salah’s chance creation often went overlooked. He is currently in the top 10 in expected assists for the third time in his Premier League career, currently ranking second.
How good was Eden Hazard in his prime?
Although Eden Hazard was also an inverted winger as a right-footed player on the left side of the Chelsea formation, he was a very different kind of player.
Whereas Salah focused mostly on goals and used his superior explosiveness to beat defenders, Hazard was more of a playmaker for the Blues who used his agility and shiftiness to embarrass defenses.
An aesthetically pleasing footballer, Hazard was the only player who could remotely hold a candle to Lionel Messi in terms of dribbling and close control.
He was also incredibly prolific for the Belgian national team. At the 2018 World Cup, Hazard led Belgium to third, averaging a mind-blowing 6.7 dribbles completed and 4.5 fouls drawn per game.
Hazard’s goal-scoring stats aren’t as gaudy as Salah’s, but he also had to spend more time completing take-ons and taking rough challenges, doing grueling things that took him away from as many scoring opportunities.
Still, Hazard “got his”. The Belgian legend had 20 goals and 15 assists in his final season with Lille before notching 20, 21, and 23 goal contributions in his first three seasons with Chelsea.
In London, Hazard’s best season came in 2018/19 when he had 16 goals and 15 assists, and then he left for Real Madrid. Really, his prime lasted from his final season with Lille until his final season with Chelsea.
Hazard led the Premier League in progressive carries in 2017/18 and 2018/19, with the latter being particularly insane when you consider he had 31 total goal contributions despite putting in all that hard progressive work as a winger.
Why Mohamed Salah was better than Eden Hazard
Despite Eden Hazard’s incredible highlight reels and all the effort it takes to be a top progressor and dribbler, Mohamed Salah has to get the edge when comparing these two wonderful footballers head to head.
Firstly, Salah has won the Champions League, whereas Hazard did not do this with Chelsea. Both players have inexplicably only won the Premier League Player of the Season once each, but Salah is almost a sure bet to win it this year.
The key difference is that football is all about making a difference in the goal column, and nobody has done it from the wing position in Premier League history quite like Salah.
He is on pace to lead the league for a fourth time in goals and even for a second time in assists. Contrast that to Hazard, who has only done so once each in his Premier League career.
The word “peak” is often used as a reductive term to create an invented dream scenario in which a player with worse numbers is seen as better than another player.
Hazard was just about untouchable on the ball at his peak, but his peak lasted five seasons in the Premier League. Salah’s is still ongoing. He has consistently been at the top level from the moment he stepped foot in 2017 until now in 2023/24.
In no season has Salah recorded fewer than 20 goal contributions. Hazard never came close to touching what Salah did in his first season with 32 goals and 10 assists. The numbers show that the choice is clear.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.