Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte has suggested that only players who win the Champions League are likely to be in the running for the Ballon d'Or.
While Cristiano Ronaldo was named as the winner of the award for a fifth time, Chelsea's star man Eden Hazard only finished in 19th place in the standings.
Conte has claimed that he was surprised to see the Belgian feature low down in the placings, but insisted that it will only change if the Blues make an impact on the European scene.
The 48-year-old told reporters: "I'm surprised. I'm repeating always the same concept: if you want to win the Ballon d'Or, you have to win the league, the Champions League, the World Cup. You have to win the Euro Cup.
"It's important to have great wins. For sure Eden is a young player. He has the potential to improve his place in this table. At the same time I like to repeat that if you want to reach the best you have to win. Last season we won the league. Maybe two years ago, Hazard wasn't in the table."
Hazard's teammate N'Golo Kante was in eighth position.
Darren Plant
