<text>  It wont 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 Europes top dribbler by statistics looking at the continents 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, cant get close to his Ballon dOr rival in these rankings though. He has completed less than half the number that Messi, Hazard and four other players have managed. Lionel Messis tops this WhoScored table for successful dribbles in Europes 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 dOr hes probably not too worried . Ronaldo managed just 99 dribbles over the same period, putting him outside the top 20 across Europes 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 Burnleys 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-Germains Brazilian winger Lucas Moura. Hoffenheims Roberto Firmino 244, Borussia Monchengladbachs Raffael 222, Karim Bellarabi of Bayer Leverkusen 206 and Eric Choupo-Moting from Schalke 200 complete the 200 club with Messi and Hazard. Hoffenheims Roberto Firmino left with 244 and Monchengladbachs Raffael right with 222 rank highly . Karim Bellarabi of Bayer Leverkusen and Schalkes Eric Choupo-Moting have 206 and 200 respectively . For more detailed statistics and player ratings visit WhoScored.com or download the WhoScored.com app . 