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Antonio Conte: 'Eden Hazard must continue to put team first'

Conte: 'Hazard must put team first'
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Chelsea manager Antonio Conte insists that the team is the most important thing rather than the individual talents of Eden Hazard.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has insisted that the team is the most important thing, rather than the individual talents of a player like Eden Hazard.

Hazard was surprisingly named on the bench alongside fellow star forward Diego Costa during Saturday's FA Cup semi-final clash with Tottenham Hotspur, but later came on to help his side to a 4-2 triumph over their London rivals.

The Belgian's cameo prompted Cesc Fabregas to suggest that he is second only to Lionel Messi in terms of footballing ability and could improve further if he was more "selfish", but Conte believes that the winger must continue to put the team first.

"The first target for every great champion is to play for the team and to put your talent in the team. I don't think that a player like Messi is a selfish player," he told reporters.

"The best players in the world don't exist without the team. For me, it's sad when I listen to this, that one player must be more selfish to reach the top level. This is not my idea of football. I never will understand this. Never.

"In my team I don't want selfish players. I prefer to lose a game, than to have a selfish player. I don't want this, I can't accept this. I don't want my club to one day buy me a selfish player, never."

Hazard has scored 15 goals across all competitions this season and is expected to return to the side for Tuesday's match against Southampton.

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Antonio Conte is happy during the Premier League game between Stoke City and Chelsea on March 18, 2017
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