Highlights
- Mohamed Salah and Eden Hazard are two of the greatest wingers in Premier League history, and the debate about who is better has resurfaced following Hazard's retirement.
- Salah has a superior goal-scoring record, with 192 goals compared to Hazard's 110 goals, despite playing fewer games.
- However, Hazard excelled in teamplay, providing more assists, crosses, through balls, and having a stronger pass success rate. He was also stronger in defending, winning more aerial battles and having better numbers for tackling and interceptions.
Mohamed Salah and Eden Hazard are – undoubtedly - two of the greatest wingers in Premier League history. And with the latter formally announcing his retirement at the age of 32, the debate has already resurfaced.
The former's blazing start to the Premier League, which saw him amass 44 goals and 16 assists in 52 games in all competitions, has persisted beyond doubts that he would become a one-season wonder. Season upon season, the Egyptian has put up eye-catching numbers, which has led to ample success for him and his teammates, most notably a Premier League title and becoming Champions League champions.
His career is no longer in its infancy and so long gone are the days of wondering how the now Liverpool trailblazer will fare in the future among the other great wingers of the Premier League era. That time is now. In fact, many supporters are now openly claiming that Salah is the greatest male winger that England has seen since the top flight's rebranding in 1992, but many are quick to throw Hazard’s name in the hat.
With the former Lille wonderkid pulling the curtains on his glittering playing career, GIVEMESPORT have taken a deep dive into the pair's statistics - during their prime seasons - to get to the bottom of the old-age debate which, as mentioned, has been the talk of the town since Hazard hung up his boots.
Before we get into it, while he is backed to the death by those of a Stamford Bridge persuasion, Hazard himself admitted – to NBC Sports in 2019 - that Salah was in the upper echelons of Premier League wingers and that he hopes to emulate his performances on the pitch. Something to keep in mind.
“Mo Salah is one of my good friends, and he’s doing something incredible. I try to look at this player and try and reach that level.”
Salah vs Hazard - goals
It's a massive statement and certainly not one without substance as the Egyptian looks to hurtle towards a fourth, record-matching Premier League Golden Boot - an accolade Hazard never had the pleasure of tasting - that could see him usurp Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and co.
But how does Salah compare to Hazard? Well, for some, that question might seem laughable because there's no denying that the Liverpool phenomena is more lethal in front of goal. Since his high-profile transfer from Serie A outfit AS Roma, he has hit the back of the net 192 times and while wingers are not typically known for their consistency, Salah is a thorn in that notion. Contrastingly, the pint-sized Belgian netted 110 goals in his seven-season spell in west London, despite playing 37 more games than his Liverpool counterpart.
However, dare we suggest that Salah's superior goalscoring record has far too much to do with his former Chelsea teammate being written off so quickly when the two are compared on social media.
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Eden Hazard vs Mohamed Salah - Career Statistics |
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|---|---|---|
|
Metric |
Eden Hazard |
Mohamed Salah |
|
Games |
623 |
566 |
|
Goals |
167 |
269 |
|
Assists |
157 |
136 |
|
Yellow Cards |
31 |
21 |
|
Red Cards |
1 |
1 |
More than just goalscoring
Yes, Salah has been a potent goal threat for Jürgen Klopp in the red of Merseyside and has even – as alluded to – upped his goal tally in a much quicker fashion, but let's not pretend as though the debate ends there when you consider their differing roles. Besides, we've got to remember that - although Hazard was certainly no wing-back - Salah plays in a system that essentially makes him an inverted striker where goalscoring chances can be rife.
Klopp has been heavily dependent on the 88-cap Egyptian for his goalscoring exploits since his, in hindsight, paltry £34m switch, whereas the Belgian provided much, much more than numbers. So, let's take a little bit of a different look at things and assess both wingers across every aspect of their games by using the Premier League's official comparison tool for player statistics.
Because we can’t forget Hazard would make doing the hardest possible thing, at the top level, while being hunted down by a plethora of defenders, look like a walk in the park. Oh, Eden – please come back.
What were their prime seasons?
While it’s an onerous chore picking just one season where the frightening duo were at the peak of their powers, we’ve done just that – as a way of levelling the playing field. For Salah, that's a pretty straightforward task because although every season turns into a magnum opus, his record-breaking 2017/18 campaign hitherto remains unrivalled.
And while you might automatically think that Hazard's finest season was his PFA Award-winning year of 2014/15, we're actually inclined to reckon that it was his final year at Stamford Bridge. His swansong if you will.
Salah vs Hazard at the peak of their powers
Besides, Hazard actually provided both more goals and more assists during 2018/19 in west London than he did in the year that is so often labelled as his high watermark in England. So, what happens when you pit 2018/19 Hazard up against 2017/18 Salah? Well, the simple answer is that sparks fly, and you can check out the fascinating results down below.
Attacking
A quick overview – primarily focused on their output – shows Salah in the brighter light given he doubled Hazard’s goal return and fell just five short of his assist tally. And while, yes, Salah predictably gets the better of Hazard in almost every attacking metric, let us not ignore the fact that Hazard's shooting accuracy of 72.88% actually tops that of the Reds star. That is, admittedly, a little clutching at straws as Salah still has the better shooting success rate, but it's another objective measure that proves Hazard should not go anonymous in this debate.
Teamplay
Interestingly, the Belgian wins every single data set in the teamplay category with more assists, crosses, through balls, big chances created and a stronger pass success rate for good measure. It’s in this category where Hazard’s creative instincts come out from hiding, making a monstrous 1,819 passes across the season in comparison to Salah’s mere 946. Of course, that statistic is null and void if those passes go wayward, but the numbers spotlight Hazard’s pinpoint accuracy by recording a pass completion rate just shy of 85%
The passes were audacious, too, so don’t let the common consensus of this debate blur your vision of how supreme a talent Hazard was. Much more involved with play, too, the statistics highlight the former Lille man was eager to get on the ball and drive – an aspect of his game held in such high esteem by pundits, managers and fans alike.
Defending
Even Hazard's reputation for being lazy at defending doesn't hold true because his stronger numbers for tackling, interceptions, clearances and even aerial battles won also outdo Salah. Goals conceded is the only metric in which Salah comes out shinier – but in retrospect, how involved would the duo be in those scenarios? We’ll leave you to figure that one out.
Closer than you think…
Well, well, well - it's not exactly a closed book, is it? The statistics – however you interpret them - fail to underline a certain winner, though every football fan will no doubt have a preference of the goal-gobbling frontman and a winger more known for his ability to spruce an attack out of thin air.
Though, the real moral of the story here really is about appreciating their respective brilliance, albeit in varying forms. After all, comparison is the thief of joy and in the fabled words of defender-turned-pundit Rio Ferdinand:
“People try and make comparisons of who’s better etc. Just enjoy them, man. We’re lucky to be in this time.”