Toby Alderweireld says Eden Hazard is on a par with the best players in the world after the Chelsea playmaker inspired Belgium to a 4-0 win over Hungary on Saturday.
Hazard capped off a strong performance in Toulouse with a stunning run and finish to make it 3-0, a minute after he had set-up substitute Michy Batshuayi for a tap-in.
Tottenham defender Alderweireld opened the scoring for Belgium, who face Wales in the Euro 2016 quarterfinals on Friday, and Yannick Carrasco added a fourth in stoppage time.
Alderweireld believes it was Hazard's best international performance but insisted there is a long way to go for Belgium, who are second in FIFA's world rankings and among the favourites to win the tournament.
"It was his best game for Belgium. His confidence is growing he's working hard to show what he can do and he was fantastic," Alderweireld is quoted in The Daily Mail. "When he plays like he did he's one of the best players in the world -- he can compete with anyone."
"People expect a lot from Belgium, but we had a bit of pressure on our shoulders after the first game when we lost to Italy. We're improving with every game and this was another good win but we have done nothing yet."
Red Devils coach Marc Wilmots raised eyebrows when he named Hazard as captain after Manchester City's Vincent Kompany was ruled out of the tournament through injury, but Alderweireld has been impressed with Hazard's understated leadership.
"He doesn't say a lot, but when he does speak everyone listens because we all respect his quality and what he has done in his career," he said.
"He is a different type of captain to Kompany but he is a good guy for the team and leads by example, by the way he plays. When something important happens he will talk, but not as much as Kompany."