Chelsea's ​Eden Hazard has revealed the footballing stars he looks up to, saving particular praise for his 'friend' and rival Mohamed Salah.

The Belgian has been in glittering form once again this season, with 13 goals and 11 assists in the league alone, yet has confirmed that despite being one of the finest players in the country, he still has admiration for other world stars.

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Speaking in an interview with NBC Sports (via the ​Evening Standard), the 28-year-old listed some of the obvious candidates among his inspirations, including the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner.

“I like [Luka] Modric,” the ​Chelsea forward said.

“He’s more of a midfielder than me but, of course, I like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo."

With three of football's biggest names mentioned, ​Hazard could well feature alongside one of them if the rumours of a potential move to ​Real Madrid materialise. The Belgian's contract at Chelsea is set to expire in two years however ​it is growing increasingly likely that a summer exit from Stamford Bridge is on the cards.

One man who did leave Chelsea was ​Salah, who featured alongside Hazard during a two-year spell in west London. The Egyptian made only 19 appearances for the Blues, however, being loaned out to Fiorentina and Roma - before finalising a permanent switch to the latter.

Since his return to the ​Premier League with ​Liverpool he has scored 49 goals in just 66 top flight outings, thus it's no wonder Hazard was full of praise for the 26-year-old.

He added: "Mo Salah is one of my good friends and he’s doing something incredible. I try to look at this player and this player and try to reach that level.”