Cesc Fabregas heaped praise on his Chelsea team-mate Eden Hazard (Picture: Getty)

Antonio Conte dismissed the suggestion that Chelsea star Eden Hazard must be more selfish to reach the same level as Lionel Messi.

Cesc Fabregas claimed Hazard would soon be better than the Barcelona superstar after Chelsea reached the FA Cup final with a 4-2 win over Tottenham.

‘Ability wise, there is only one player above him and we all know who he is: Messi. Ability-wise he’s up there with the best,’ Fabregas said.

‘I’ve told him many, many times, he needs to be selfish sometimes and have that killer instinct to score more goals and then he will be whatever he wants to be,’

‘I’ve played with many players and sometimes when we have a counter attack and it’s two against two and he passes the ball, I tell him: ‘You have the capability to score by yourself. Do it’.’

However, Conte says it is ‘sad’ to hear the suggestion that players must be more selfish to reach the top level.

Blues boss Antonio Conte (Picture: Getty)
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is regarded as one of the best players of all time (Picture: Getty)

And the former Italy boss insisted he will not allow such a mentality to flourish at Stamford Bridge, instead stressing the importance of the whole team.

When asked whether Fabregas was right about Belgium international Hazard, Conte said: ‘No, absolutely not.

‘Because I don’t think a player like Messi is a selfish player. The first target for every great champion is to play for the team.

‘Put your talent in the team. The best players in the world don’t exist without the team.’

Cesc Fabregas believes Hazard will soon surpass Messi (Picture: Getty)

Conte added: ‘For me, it’s sad when I listen to this: one player must be more selfish to reach the top level? This is not my ideal of football.

‘I will never understand this. In my team I don’t want a selfish player, I’d prefer to lose a game than have a selfish player – I don’t want this and won’t accept this, never.’

After their 4-2 win at Wembley, Chelsea welcome Southampton to the Bridge on Tuesday night hoping to maintain their four-point gap at the top of the table.

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