10 players with the most to prove

4. Eden Hazard

NOW’s the time for Belgium’s golden generation. This is almost certainly the most talented squad they’ve ever take to a World Cup, and no player is more talented than Eden Hazard. The Chelsea forward has dominated the Premier League for most of the past five years (with the notable exception of 2015-16), but never really produced on the international level.

There’s pressure on Belgium. There was no shame in a young side losing to eventual finalists Argentina in 2014, but their showing at Euro 2016, where they lost to Wales, again in the quarterfinals, was more troubling. Since then, manager Marc Wilmots has been replaced by Roberto Martinez, and the pressure has only increased.

Hazard, who turned 27 in January, is at something of a career cross roads after Chelsea failed to qualify for next season’s Champions League. There’s no shortage of potential suitors, but an impressive World Cup will force the world to fully appreciate the talents of a player who has been accused, sometimes unfairly, of inconsistency.

He won’t have to do it alone, with Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Dries Mertens alongside him, but if Belgium are to go far, Hazard will have to be at his best. Unlike his teammates, Hazard doesn’t need quality service to score (or, in De Bruyne’s case, quality scorers to finish the chances he creates). Belgium may need that individual magic.