Kurt Zouma: Chelsea defender is 'dreaming' of winning the Ballon d'Or

Kurt Zouma told French TV he wants to emulate Fabio Cannavaro

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When a Chelsea player says he "dreams" of winning football's most prestigious individual prize, the Ballon d'Or, you probably think the man talking is star winger Eden Hazard.

Hazard, who scored the winner against Manchester United on Sunday, has 18 goals and 10 assists for Premier League-leading Chelsea this season.

But it was not the Belgian, who Jose Mourinho described as "one of the three best players in the world", who said he wanted to win the award.

It was Kurt Zouma.

The French defender is still only 20 but has played a crucial role for Chelsea this season, whether playing as a centre-back or in central midfield, where he started the Capital One Cup final and against Louis van Gaal's team on Sunday.

Zouma has only started 16 games in all competitions this season, but is a key squad member and has a massive future at Stamford Bridge, where he has drawn comparisons to Marcel Desailly.

"Yes, it's a dream for me," he told Canal + when asked about the award. "I am someone who dreams."

But Zouma is up against it to win the award, even if he is only 20 - not only will he have to topple the likes of Hazard, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and all the other attacking stars, he'll probably have to captain his team to a Champions League, European Championships or World Cup win.

Since the award was began back in 1956, only three defenders have won the award.

West Germany and Bayern Munich great Franz Beckenbaeur won the award twice in 1972 and 1976 - he won the European Cup three times in a row from 1974-76 with his club as well as winning the European Championships in 1972 and the World Cup in 1974.

Matthias Sammer was the next defender to win the award, taking it in 1996, a year in which he won a German league and cup double and starred for Germany in their Euro '96 win - and a year before winning the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund.

Ten years after that Fabio Cannavaro won the award for leading Italy to a surprise World Cup win in Germany.