Belgian manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck believes Chelsea’s Romeo Lavia could win the Ballon d’Or if he remains injury-free.
Hein Vanhaezebrouck has backed Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia to reach Ballon d’Or level, insisting the Belgian can become one of the best players in the world if he can finally stay injury-free.
The former Anderlecht and KAA Gent manager was full of praise for Lavia after Belgium’s recent international fixtures, highlighting the Chelsea star alongside Dodi Lukebakio as the standout performers.
“Two players stood out. One who was also an immediate starter under Domenico Tedesco: Dodi Lukebakio. For me, he is the man of this break, along with Roméo Lavia,” Vanhaezebrouck said via Sport Witness.
“Anyone with a Premier League subscription already knew it: Lavia is a phenomenon. One of the best midfielders in the world, provided he stays fit.”
The former Anderlecht boss particularly highlighted Lavia staying on pitch for longer periods, adding, “I wonder what Chelsea thinks of the fact that he stayed on the pitch for 85 minutes twice. Usually, he is substituted after 65 minutes.”
That Lavia has now managed back-to-back 85-minute outings underscores his emerging fitness resilience, a prerequisite for translating his technical gifts into sustained world-class performance.
Vanhaezebrouck then compared Lavia to Manchester City midfielder Rodri: “But whenever he plays, it is ‘wow’. It is often said of Rodri that he dictates the tempo, never loses possession, and always plays forward. Is Lavia of exactly the same calibre?”
Asked whether the Chelsea midfielder has the qualities required to compete for the Ballon d’Or, Vanhaezebrouck replied:
“If he stays fit, he will become a player who qualifies for that. He has it all: good footwork, doesn’t lose the ball, a low centre of gravity which means he always turns away well.”
“You can hang onto him, but he is so solid that he stays upright. The assist to Lukebakio, the ball to De Bruyne against France: he is constantly scanning as well. He has almost 360-degree vision. With Lavia, we are getting a world-class player that Tedesco and Garcia didn’t have.”
Can Lavia stay injury-free?
Lavia’s biggest obstacle has been his fitness. Since joining Chelsea from Southampton in 2023, the 22-year-old has suffered 11 injury setbacks and missed 624 days, with hamstring problems accounting for much of his time on the sidelines.
The Belgian managed 2,144 minutes across 48 appearances since moving to Stamford Bridge and has featured five times this campaign. Crucially, he has remained injury-free so far this term and has begun to demonstrate the qualities that made Chelsea invest heavily in him.
Lavia featured in all four of Belgium’s recent UEFA Nations League fixtures, underlining his growing importance to the national team. If the youngster can finally overcome his injury problems and maintain his current trajectory, Chelsea may have a midfielder capable of competing among the world’s elite.
With Enzo Fernandez leaving the club on deadline day, the Blues do need Lavia to be fit and playing at his best. If he manages to stay fit for the entire campaign, he could end up establishing himself as one of the mainstays under Alonso.
