Eden Hazard's reputation in the footballing world appears to be growing every week.

The Belgian arrived back in west London buoyed by his World Cup performances and has already shone under Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea.

He has six goals in seven appearances in all competitions and is thriving in the attacking freedom handed to him by the new boss.

His cameo in the 2-1 win over Liverpool was sensational, with Hazard scoring one of the finest solo goals in recent memory.

Alberto Moreno and Naby Keita were left humiliated as the Belgian burst into the box and lashed a shot past Willy Caballero.

It's had people debating Hazard's status among the best players in the world right now.

Is he the best of the rest, or is he finally catching up to both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?

Well, his teammate Ross Barkley has gone one step further and believes Hazard is currently outperforming both.

However, his reasoning leaves a lot to be desired.

“Compared to them [Messi and Ronaldo], they are probably a lot more selfish than Eden is,” said Barkley to the Telegraph.

“He is not a selfish player. He is happy getting two assists and the team winning. He is adding goals and he keeps improving.

"What he has done against Liverpool, honestly he’s doing it every day in training. It’s no surprise to us. At the minute, he is the best player in the world, I believe.

“You’re not surprised when you see him do it in a game like that. But what a goal! He’s been showing it for the last five or six years and he is establishing himself in the top three players in the world.

"At the minute, he’s probably the best player in the world, the way he is playing. He is producing things like that on the pitch.”

Some of what Barkley says is spot on, but Hazard more unselfish than Messi? No way.

The Argentine is famed for being arguably the finest creator in world football, regularly leading the charts for assists in Spain and in Europe.

And for Hazard to really be put in the top bracket, he needs to replicate his current form for the entire season and perhaps even improve.