Football
Liam Twomey, Chelsea correspondent 7y

Eden Hazard won't try to emulate John Terry's captaincy style

Eden Hazard says he will not try to emulate Chelsea teammate John Terry's style of captaincy when he leads out Belgium against Estonia on Sunday.

Persistent injuries to Vincent Kompany have led Belgium coach Roberto Martinez to hand the armband to Hazard, who looks back to his best with seven goals in 11 Premier League appearances for Chelsea this season.

Back in June 2015, the 25-year-old was hailed as a leader on the pitch by then-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, but Hazard insists that his form of leadership cannot match that of Terry, who has worn the Chelsea armband since Mourinho's first arrival at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2004.

"It's good for me to be the captain," Hazard said of his Belgium honour. "I enjoy it. But I can't be like John Terry. As captain, I don't talk too much, I try to talk with my feet on the pitch.

"My ambition is to lead Belgium to the World Cup. To win something for the country. I hope we can do it but it's still far away."

Asked if he would one day like to captain Chelsea, Hazard replied: "I don't know about that. John Terry is still there. I don't want to touch his position."

Hazard has rebounded spectacularly from a hugely disappointing 2015-16 season under Antonio Conte, and has scored five goals in six matches since the Italian's decision to shift to a 3-4-3 system and deploy his superstar winger closer to Diego Costa.

"Maybe the system has helped me to find my form,' Hazard said. "We tried it in Belgium, now we do it with Chelsea.

"I said after the 5-0 win against Everton, it means I just need to focus offensively as the wing-back is there to defend. My fortunes have changed since the system changed."

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