Lineker baffled by Salah vs Hazard debate as verdict becomes clear

Micah Richards, who has spoken on this matter before, attempted to explain the contrast by comparing their styles to two of the modern game’s greats.

He said: “I don’t want to say it’s the same, but it’s like Messi as a football player and Ronaldo a goal scorer. Different. They’re just different, aren’t they?

“Mo Salah takes more pride in scoring goals. Hazard takes more pride in maybe creating or doing something magical. So they’re different players, I would say.”

That distinction was echoed by Alan Shearer, who acknowledged that aesthetics often influence opinion.

Shearer said: “Yeah. I would I would go along with that. I mean his numbers obviously don’t compare with goals, but you’ve got more chance of getting the spectacular from Eden Hazard than you have Mo Salah.

“Not that he can’t produce the spectacular as we’ve seen it, but more pleasing on the eye, maybe.”

The reality, though, is that football isn’t judged on aesthetics alone.

While Hazard could light up moments, our Egyptian King has built a body of work that very few in Premier League history can match, consistently delivering goals and assists season after season.

Curtis Jones has already made a similar point when discussing the pair, explaining that while some may prefer the Belgian’s natural talent, there’s no question who you would pick if the aim is to win games.

And after yet another derby where Salah delivered when it mattered most, that argument feels more settled than ever.