LONDON -- Antonio Conte has rejected the suggestion that Eden Hazard could reach Lionel Messi's level if he became more selfish on the pitch, and said that he would rather lose than have a selfish player in his Chelsea team.
Speaking after Hazard came off the bench to score the third goal in Chelsea's 4-2 win over Tottenham in Saturday's FA Cup semifinal at Wembley, Cesc Fabregas said that Messi is the only player in world football with more ability than the Belgium international and added that he often urges his teammate to show more "killer instinct" in the final third of the pitch.
But in a news conference at Cobham on Monday, Conte dismissed the idea that Messi -- who scored his 500th goal for Barcelona in the last minute of Sunday's 3-2 victory over Real Madrid -- plays selfishly, and said that the first responsibility of every player is to his teammates.
"No, no, no, absolutely not," Conte said when asked if Hazard should be more selfish. "I don't think that a player like Messi is a selfish player. The first target for every great champion is to play for the team and to put your talent into the team. If you do this, the team [increases] your talent.
"The best players in the world don't exist without a team. For me, it's sad to listen to this, that a player must 'be more selfish' to reach the top level. That's very sad. It's not my idea of football and I will never understand this. Never, never. In my team, I don't want selfish players.
"I prefer to lose a game than to have a selfish player. For me, I don't want this and I can't accept this. I don't want my club to buy me a selfish player one day. Never. No."
N'Golo Kante won the PFA player of the year award ahead of Hazard in a ceremony in London on Sunday, with fellow professionals rewarding the midfielder for helping Chelsea to the top of the Premier League.
Conte said he was proud of Kante's achievement, but believes that the 26-year-old can still expand his game.
"I think we must be pleased for him," Conte said. "We must be proud for him. It's a great achievement.
"He's working very hard and I think he's improving a lot with these players. He's a really good guy. He's always available to work and improve his weaknesses. I hope to continue in this way. It's important for him not to stop this will, this desire, to continue to improve himself."
Chelsea take on Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday needing a win to be sure of preserving their four-point lead over Tottenham at the top of the table, and Conte identified striker Manolo Gabbiadini as a particular threat.
"We worked together with the national team," Conte said. "He's a really good player, a talented player. A fantastic left foot, one of the best in the world. It's amazing the way he kicks the ball. If someone doesn't know him, he can't understand the talent that this player has. We must pay great attention to him.
"He's a really good guy. His sister [Melania] is a great striker in Italy for the national team, also. They were born with a football, him and his sister."
Conte confirmed that he has no new injury concerns ahead of Southampton's visit to Stamford Bridge, and said he expects Gary Cahill to be available again after being hospitalised by gastroenteritis last week.
"Gary [on Thursday] trained with us and also [on Friday]," Conte said. "It's normal to check his condition and, also, I want to speak very well with him tomorrow before taking the decision [as to whether he plays]. But, in this case, I'm very happy if he's able to play tomorrow.
"But also I want to underline the performance of [Nathan] Ake. I was pleased for his performance. He played a really good game and he's very important for us."