It wo n't come as much a surprise for those who watch his masterful displays in La Liga every week , but Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been revealed as Europe 's top dribbler by statistics looking at the continent 's top five leagues . The Argentine forward tops the table for players taking on an opponent and making it past them whilst retaining the ball with 258 successful dribbles , beating Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard by just four over the two-season period analysed . Cristiano Ronaldo , widely regarded as the best player in the world alongside Messi , ca n't get close to his Ballon d'Or rival in these rankings though . He has completed less than half the number that Messi , Hazard and four other players have managed . Lionel Messi 's tops this WhoScored table for successful dribbles in Europe 's top five leagues . Messi tops the table for players taking on an opponent and making it past them whilst retaining the ball . Eden Hazard is second in the rankings , just four places behind Messi for his efforts with Chelsea . Cristiano Ronaldo missed out on the list , but having won the Ballon d'Or he 's probably not too worried . Ronaldo managed just 99 dribbles over the same period , putting him outside the top 20 across Europe 's top five leagues in the tables put together by WhoScored.com . Hazard , with 254 successful dribbles , is one of only two Barclays Premier League representatives in the top 10 . He is joined by Raheem Sterling in joint-eighth spot with 172 to his name . The table seems to show a solid trend of short , explosive playmakers with Messi , Hazard and Sterling as prime examples . Raheem Sterling uses his explosive pace to try to get past Burnley 's Ben Mee on Wednesday night . Bayern Munich pair Arjen Robben ( left ) and Franck Ribery ( right ) are two of six Bundesliga representatives . And Germany seems to be the place to be if you want to watch those kind of players - six of the top 10 ply their trade in the Bundesliga . Other big names included are Bayern Munich pair Franck Ribery ( 175 ) and Arjen Robben ( 172 ) and Paris Saint-Germain 's Brazilian winger Lucas Moura . Hoffenheim 's Roberto Firmino ( 244 ) , Borussia Monchengladbach 's Raffael ( 222 ) , Karim Bellarabi of Bayer Leverkusen ( 206 ) and Eric Choupo-Moting from Schalke ( 200 ) complete the 200+ club with Messi and Hazard . Hoffenheim 's Roberto Firmino ( left ) with 244 and Monchengladbach 's Raffael ( right ) with 222 rank highly . Karim Bellarabi of Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke 's Eric Choupo-Moting have 206 and 200 respectively . For more detailed statistics and player ratings visit WhoScored.com or download the WhoScored.com app http : //bit.ly/16H248b .
Lionel Messi has completed most dribbles in Europe over last two seasons . Eden Hazard is second on the list for his efforts in Chelsea 's side . Liverpool 's Raheem Sterling is only other Premier League star in top 10 . Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo does not feature on the list . No representatives from Italy 's Serie A make it into the top 20 .