Online at least, there is often a contingent of Chelsea supporters trying to make the case that Eden Hazard was a better player than Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah. And yet, the numbers don't lie.

Hazard's best goalscoring season was the one before he moved to Real Madrid, when he netted 21 times in all competitions in the 2018/19 season. That was the first and only time he hit the 20-goal mark — a figure Salah has already beaten this season with half the campaign still to go — and Hazard went on to net just seven times in 76 appearances in Spain.

While there is little to back up the argument that Hazard was a better player than Salah, it is surprising to note that the two players are good friends off the pitch. They played together for the short period that Salah was at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho.

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"I have many ones," Salah told TNT Sports Mexico when he was asked about his best friends in soccer. "Me and Eden Hazard are very good friends and when we see each other, we have so much fun.

"But I’m close to Kostas [Tsimikas] and I’m close to Dominik [Szoboszlai]. And Virgil [van Dijk] as well — we have been together for eight years so when we sit down and discuss things, we have so much respect for each other.

"I like Trent [Alexander-Arnold] but he is crazy — he doesn’t like to talk! I love him. Robbo more talking, Trent more listening…"

Liverpool.com says: Hazard is so far after his prime years now that it is easy to forget he is only 18 months older than Salah. It's hard to associate Salah in any way with being a Chelsea player now too because he has been excelling for Liverpool for so long. The pair being friends off the pitch is a surprise as they seem an unlikely couple.