This was a question asked to me on facebook, and I wanted to elaborate on this as it is a very interesting and cool comparison.
Two quality wingers....but VERY different in what they bring to the table in a footballing sense.
Let me start by saying Hazard is the more refined and accomplished footballer. With the combination of dribbling, control, footballing brain, Hazard wins it. But the sport of football is a complex game and one added to one does not always make two. Hazard may be the better footballer, but who is more effective?
What sets these two Belgian cats apart is how they affect the game and under what circumstance. Hazard is a tactical player. By that I mean he is bound by a system. If the system works, he is one of the most deadly attacking wingers in the world. But when his team are not tactically ontop is where he may falter.
De freakin Bruyyyyyyne, is a more dynamic player. Even if his team may not be on it, he has the ability to freely change the course of a game. He is not as rigidly bound to a tactical setup as Hazard is. This was made very evident in that World Cup match against the US.
Hazard seemed to be looking for Mourinho to tell him how to affect the game. It just wasn't the same Hazard for Belgium that had been to powerful for Chelsea. This lead me to believe he needs to be in the right environment to show his true colours.
De Bruyne on the other hand, was the key that unlocked the game. Because he is just a player that can interpret any kind of situation in any tactical setup he's in, he knew when to make those runs, and how to deliver the right balls that put the sword into the heart of the Americans.
I have to be clear. Not once in this dear article have I said either one is better than the other. Simply that they are two different players. You might say De Bruyne has the advantage since he is not a slave to a tactical setup, but Hazard is a better footballer. And while still growing, he may become to be more influential for Belgium and know how to tweak his game, which would therefore make him an even better player.
Whatever I may think, Belgium have two incredible attacking wingers. With Germany losing Klose and Bart Simpson and struggling to beat Australia at home, Wilmots needs only to get the best out of these two danger men to bring that trophy back to Brussels for some sprouts.
HH
