Sunday 1 July 2018 17:23, UK
Eden Hazard hopes it is his time to shine at the World Cup after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were sent home on Saturday.
Messi and Ronaldo have shared the Ballon d'Or every year between themselves for the past decade - winning five apiece.
However, Argentina and Portugal's respective eliminations from the World Cup leaves room for others to grab some of the limelight, something Kylian Mbappe managed by outshining Messi in France's 4-3 win.
"Ronaldo and Messi are not in the World Cup anymore so now it's time to shine," said Hazard ahead of Monday's last-16 tie against Japan.
"I just want to go through to the quarters and the semis."
Hazard's partnership with Romelu Lukaku and Dries Mertens has proved efficient, with Belgium scoring nine goals in their first three matches.
"I think we've reached the best level of our careers," said Hazard. "Romelu joined a very big club [Manchester United] and scored goals, and Dries has been one of the best scorers in Italy the last two or three years.
"I'm maybe less of a scorer than they are but I'm always able to create something."
Lukaku has improved his movement off the ball, Hazard says, along with his work rate and finishing.
"What's great about having Romelu is that he doesn't need many chances to score," he said. "Maybe a few years ago, he needed more.
"The reason why he's in the category of the very best strikers is that when he gets three chances in a game, he scores two.
"In terms of movement, he's better than he was a few years ago. In terms of defending, he does more."
