There are only two player of the year candidates in Kevin Mirallas' eyes, Luis Suárez and Eden Hazard, and fewer names on his voting slip. "I would not vote for a Liverpool player, would I?" the Everton midfielder protests, although there is more to the bias than Merseyside rivalry. Mirallas has been a close friend of Hazard for almost a decade and appreciates better than most the threat to Everton's lingering Champions League hopes at Stamford Bridge.
It was in the youth ranks at Lille where Mirallas befriended a talent José Mourinho labelled "the best young player in the world" following a hat-trick in Chelsea's recent defeat of Newcastle United. The eulogy came as no surprise to the elder of the two Belgians, who has tutored Hazard since they started on the path to international and Premier League recognition in north-eastern France.
"He was 14 and I was 17 when we first met at Lille," recalls the 26-year-old, who confronts his compatriot in the Premier League on Saturday. "I was playing with the professionals and the coaches of the junior sides were telling me: 'You have to speak to this young Belgian guy who's joined us, he's really good.' I used to spend quite a bit of time with him, at the training ground and away from football. He was quite shy at the time and I helped him integrate. Then I helped him settle in with the first team when he moved up to the seniors.
"There was really no doubt, even at 16, when he first started training with us, that he was going to become the player he has. Obviously a lot can change from that age but we were all convinced he would become really good. Alongside Luis Suárez, who has had a great season too, he's been the form player in the Premier League. We're going to Chelsea with him right on top of his game."
Mirallas describes himself as the "older-brother figure" in the relationship with Hazard. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Everton's creative outlet insists it is a misconception the Chelsea player is carefree and relaxed about his duties in a Mourinho team. "He's got his head screwed on," Mirallas states. "He's quite a serious guy, he listens if you tell him something and he understands."
Even during the 'hamburger incident' – when Hazard was introduced as a substitute against Turkey in 2011, withdrawn shortly afterwards and promptly walked out of the stadium to dine at a nearby fast-food joint? "Well they've taken the hamburger stand away so that shouldn't be a problem!" replies Mirallas. "That's tough for me to answer because at that time there were one or two issues in the team and with the former coach [Georges Leekens], but I know it is something he wouldn't do now.
"He's a laid-back guy and very professional, he's always been that way but you can make mistakes when you're a kid. He's been in England 18 months now and you've never really heard anything about him off the field. He's a grounded lad and a good guy."
Hazard remained at Lille before completing a £32m move to Chelsea in 2012, the same year Mirallas arrived at Everton for £6m via the circuitous route of Lille, St Etienne and Olympiakos. Like Hazard, Mirallas has accepted greater responsibility during his second season in English football and developed from a mercurial talent that struggled to finish games under David Moyes into a consistent asset for Roberto Martínez. A change in mentality is the cause.
"At the start of the season I had a lot of ambition to do well but maybe didn't realise how much my team-mates, manager, coaches and fans were counting on me to be more consistent rather than performing in one or two games," he says. "I realised if I wanted to achieve my targets – which this season are getting a trophy or at least qualifying for one of the European competitions – I'd have to be good all the time.
"My dad [José] came over in December and we had a long, frank talk. I have never doubted my ability but something I realised throughout my career was that I had a problem reproducing that quality match by match. So my dad sat me down and we had a good chat.
"We decided I had to be more consistent, doing everything I possibly could to show my quality in every game. Sometimes I would start a game trying really, really hard but would leave a little more in my shell. I think over the last two months I have been performing in every match and helping my team-mates more in that respect."
Increased responsibility was reflected in Mirallas' late, match-winning free kick against Aston Villa this month, a win Martínez described as "the defining moment of the season" following the earlier drubbing at Liverpool. Defeats at Anfield and White Hart Lane, however, have left Everton eight points adrift of fourth place and Mirallas admits victory at Stamford Bridge is imperative for Champions League qualification. "A few weeks ago I might have said a point would be enough going to Chelsea," he says, "whereas now, and without wanting to put too much pressure on ourselves against a good team that has not lost at home in the league this season, we have to try and get three points given where we are in the league."
Stopping Hazard, however, will not be easy. "I think Seamus [Coleman] is the best right back in the league at the moment along with [Chelsea's] Branislav Ivanovic," Mirallas adds. "Hopefully Seamus can put him in his pocket.