Jeffrey Schlupp picks Messi and Hazard as the best opponents he has faced

Ghana winger Jeffrey Schlupp has picked Barcelona forward Lionel Messi as the favourite opponent he played against, followed by Eden Hazard in the English Premier League.

The 27-year old once came face to face with the Argentine forward in a preseason friendly and met Hazard in the English Premier League with Chelsea.

"We played Barcelona in a pre-season game if that counts - so obviously Lionel Messi. But in the Premier League: Eden Hazard; he’s a special, special player. Until you come up against him you don’t realise: ‘Wow, this guy is special.’," he told Chris Grierson from Palace TV.

Schlupp has been one of the key players for Crystal Palace since joining them from Leicester City in 2017.

"It was quite quick. It all happened on the Friday and I had to do it all before midday to be available for the game the next day. I was there from eight in the morning doing all the tests," he said of his arrival at Palace.

"I was actually in London on the Thursday night watching the basketball. I then got the phone call saying I had a medical the next morning so I had to get back to Leicester to get my stuff – I got there at midnight - to then get back to London for the medical. It was quite wild to be honest. I was buzzing the whole time."