Eden Hazard

[Vesper 28,772]

[nyikolajevics 2,573]

2 hours ago, Vesper said:

 

This sentence sums him up perfectly. Doesn't give a damn, especially about practice, but still the best.

[Fulham Broadway 16,832]

1 hour ago, nyikolajevics said:

 

This sentence sums him up perfectly. Doesn't give a damn, especially about practice, but still the best.

Could probably have gone on for a couple more years if he hadnt done the Biscoff adverts with all their free samples which meant his arse barely fitted his shorts every pre season 😁

[MoroccanBlue 5,296]

17 hours ago, robsblubot said:

that's exactly why KDB is better.

Hazard may have been the more entertaining, esp if you like dribbling. If I want to beat strong opposition, in a system, I know which I'd pick. 😉 

Shame in an alternate universe we could of had both. 

[chelsea_4_eva 1,157]

One word to describe him would be magical. Oozes so much talent, it was just instinct with him, everthing came so naturally. His skills was out of this world. Such a joy to watch, pure magic.

One thing I liked about him was he was not a "high maintanance" player, didn't run his mouth and felt like he was better than everyone else although he was our best player by far. Kept his word regarding our agreement with him on his move, which shows integrity.

Good luck to him on his future endeavors, thank you Legend.

[robsblubot 3,502]

6 hours ago, MoroccanBlue said:

Shame in an alternate universe we could of had both. 

not only both 😢

Imagine a 3-line with Eden, KDB, and Salah !!! it might have been too much of a good fantastic thing, but It sure would be entertaining. 🤤

[TheHulk 1,855]

Legend, thanks for everything Eden. See you at the club in a few years as ambassador or something else.

[TheHulk 1,855]

Loved him kicking that cunt.

 

[Vesper 28,772]

Eden Hazard announces retirement: ‘You must listen to yourself and say stop at the right time’

https://theathletic.com/4948107/2023/10/10/hazard-retirement-Chelsea-real-madrid/

Eden Hazard has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 32.

The former Chelsea winger had been without a club since departing Real Madrid following the conclusion of his contract this summer and The Athletic reported in June that he had been considering retirement.

Hazard won the Premier League, Europa League, and La Liga during his 16-year career.

Hazard wrote on Instagram: “You must listen to yourself and say stop at the right time. After 16 years and more than 700 matches played, I have decided to end my career as a professional footballer.

“I was able to realise my dream, I have played and had fun on many pitches around the world.

During my career I was lucky to meet great managers, coaches and teammates – thank you to everyone for these great times, I will miss you all.

“A special thank you to my family, my friends, my advisors and the people who have been close to me in good times and bad.

“Finally, a huge thank you to you, my fans, who have followed me for all these years and for your encouragement everywhere I have played.

“Now is the time to enjoy my loved ones and have new experiences. See you off the field soon my friends.”

The Belgium international scored 110 goals in 352 appearances during seven successful years at Chelsea, before moving to Madrid in 2019, becoming the most expensive signing in the club’s history in the process.

Several injury problems limited Hazard to becoming a bit-part player at the club and he struggled to settle at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Chelsea took to social media to pay tribute to the Belgian, labelling him one of the club’s “greatest ever players.”

They said: “In the flesh, Eden Hazard was simply wonderful to watch. A world-class footballer who gave us that sense that this was a player who could do pretty much anything with a ball at his feet. And when at Eden’s feet, the ball was whatever he wanted it to be.

“His superpower was to move it with such precision, an ability to sneak through the tiniest of gaps, the little hole in the fence that only he could spot. Defenders would catch his eye, pause for breath, before he is gone once more – a shadow they think they saw in the mirror.

“This, you suspect, is why Blues fans would board the District line to Fulham Broadway on a Saturday, and filter into the Bridge through the streets surrounding Fulham Road: for those magical moments, those polaroids of genius, those flashes of perfection in miniature.

“The infamous goal against Arsenal. The solo strike against West Ham. Ending Tottenham’s title hopes. The Europa League final double. Screamers at Anfield not once, but twice. These were defining moments, memories that will carry on flickering away on endless replays in the back of our minds forever.

“And that is how the Eden Hazard legacy will remain. In our minds, forever. Happy retirement, to one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players.”

GO DEEPER

Eden Hazard's Real Madrid career was derailed by one innocuous tackle

---

Hazard the normal, down-to-earth guy

Analysis by The Athletic’s Michael Cox

In seven seasons, Hazard was arguably the Premier League’s best player in three of them and was excellent in another two. Yes, 2015-16 was a washout, while in 2017-18 he was quieter than usual, but he still delivered a tremendous performance in its FA Cup final, winning and then scoring the penalty for the only goal in a victory over Manchester United.

In the following year’s League Cup final, he was unquestionably the best player on show, and there was also a brilliant Panenka penalty in the shootout Chelsea eventually lost to Manchester City. He was also man of the match in the 2019 Europa League final win over Arsenal — his final game for Chelsea.

Hazard’s Belgium displays were also largely excellent — particularly at World Cup 2018, where they finished third — until his injury problems began.

Maybe all the football that he played led to long-term fatigue, and it’s fair to say that Hazard wasn’t the most dedicated in terms of physical conditioning. Team-mates say they never saw him in the gym, and he would barely stay longer at the training ground than was required.

He was the anti-Cristiano Ronaldo. In a way, that is part of his charm, and in the realm of top-class modern footballers, Hazard has always seemed a normal, down-to-earth guy. Away from football, he is a family man rather than someone interested in fame.

It would be a shame if Hazard is remembered mostly for this disastrous period in Madrid, considering his performances for Chelsea that got him the move

 

[Vesper 28,772]

Eden Hazard was what football should be about: The joy of expressing yourself on a pitch

https://theathletic.com/4948119/2023/10/10/eden-hazard-Chelsea-real-madrid/

Jose Mourinho will take no satisfaction from being proved right this time.

It was after Chelsea had suffered a 5-3 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur in 2015 that he predicted Eden Hazard’s career would end prematurely. The clip of his gloomy forecast is trending on social media once again on this sad day for the game.

He said: “The way, match after match, he is being punished by opponents and is not being protected by referees, maybe one day we do not have Eden Hazard. It is one, two, three, four, five, 10 fouls, aggressive fouls. They kick, they kick, they kick and the kid is resisting because he is a fantastic kid, strong physically. He is very honest in the way he plays. But this is also another problem.”

Hazard’s announcement he is retiring at the age of 32 has not been greeted with any surprise, which speaks volumes. “You must listen to yourself and say stop at the right time,” the former Belgium international wrote in his farewell statement on Tuesday morning.

In truth, the world of football has been denied the sight of Hazard at his glorious best for the last four years. His dream move from Chelsea to Real Madrid in 2019 for an initial £89million ($109m by today’s rates), rising to £150million if all the add-ons were triggered, turned into a nightmare.

 

At his peak, Hazard was almost impossible to stop (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

The fact Chelsea commanded such an enormous sum should always be regarded as an indication of his immense talent. Hazard had only a year left on his contract and could have begun negotiations over joining the La Liga club as a free agent the following January. He was one of the best players in the world but more than that, he was an individual that football fans around the globe enjoyed watching, some rather begrudgingly as he made fools of the team they love.

Hazard fitted the description of being a galactico. This term was used for the high-profile players Real Madrid signed in the early 2000s, including Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo and David Beckham.

But the sadness everyone should feel stems from never getting to see him live up to such a billing at the Bernabeu. It was a challenge from former Belgium team-mate Thomas Meunier during a Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain on November 26, 2019, that initiated an injury-ravaged four years. As The Athletic highlighted in an article this year, it was not the worst tackle he ever received. But the loud and instant cry of agony from Hazard’s lips as the defender clumsily made heavy contact with his right ankle, which had suffered a break two years earlier, betrayed how serious it was.

Hazard was ruled out for three months but never really recovered. He sustained several injury issues thereafter and surgery could not fully remedy the ankle. Remarkably, he completed 90 minutes for Real Madrid on just one occasion after that injury against PSG. In total, he made 76 appearances for Real, of which only 44 were starts. In June, the La Liga club announced he was leaving by mutual consent, even though he still had 12 months left on his deal.

There was no bitterness on Hazard’s side. He revelled in living in Madrid. He still resides there now, with one of his sons playing in the club’s academy.

Granted, his relationship with head coach Carlo Ancelotti was not the best. They barely spoke. It was clear he was not part of the Italian’s plans when he was largely ignored, despite training well, on returning from the 2022 World Cup. He had to wait until April to play in La Liga and went on to make three more appearances, totalling 96 minutes. Hazard never let his personal struggles have a detrimental impact on the mood in the camp, maintaining a good bond with his team-mates.

It would be an injustice if Hazard is only remembered for how things went wrong or by those who revel in the negative, writing him off as being a transfer flop.

Hazard is an example of what the best of football should be about — the pure joy of expressing yourself on a pitch and entertaining those who pay a fortune to watch in the process, whether it be attending in person or via a TV subscription.

 

Hazard’s time at Real Madrid was blighted by injuries (Javier Soriano/AFP via Getty Images)

The tributes are already rolling in from the football family. At Lille, the club where Hazard made his name after coming through the ranks from the age of 14, a statement read: “A prodigy whose face is engraved in the entrance to the Domaine de Luchin, the greatest talent trained here.”

Jean-Michel Vandamme, Lille’s former academy director, told The Athletic in 2019 just how hard it was for the Ligue 1 side to cope with Hazard’s departure when Chelsea beat competition from clubs across Europe to sign him in 2012.

“It’s a bit like a train that suddenly loses its locomotive,” he said. “When a train loses its locomotive, it stops. So you try different locomotives, but it’s rarely ever the same.”

Hazard relished the attention his transfer that summer generated. After months of meeting and flirting with various clubs, he posted on Twitter, “I’m signing for the Champions League winner.” Chelsea had lifted the trophy a few months earlier.

Chelsea have picked up more than their fair share of expensive recruits who have buckled under the pressure over the years. Hazard took less than two minutes to make an impact on his Premier League debut, spinning bewildered Wigan Athletic defender Ivan Ramis before playing the ball perfectly into Branislav Ivanovic’s path to score. A clearly still bewildered Ramis fouled Hazard in the area soon after to concede a penalty. Chelsea won 2-0, with Hazard the orchestrator of both goals.

 

Days later, then-head coach Roberto Di Matteo was asked whether Hazard could have as big an impact at Stamford Bridge as a Chelsea legend he played with, Gianfranco Zola.

“Gianfranco Zola was a wonderful talent, an artist,” Di Matteo replied. “Eden might become an artist as well.”

It seemed very premature to make such a comparison, but now the debate will rage over who was the better player. Hazard’s return of 110 goals and 92 assists in 352 appearances is far better, plus he collected six major honours, including two Premier League titles. Zola did not win the league with Chelsea, although he played in an inferior team. Regardless of whose camp you are in, both men possessed that same, rare ability to get a crowd off their seats, to garner utter gasps of admiration.

Strangely, even in his pomp, Hazard was viewed negatively in some quarters. He was often criticised for failing to meet the levels set by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo… some crime.

It is true he was not the best trainer. He was rightly chastised by the Spanish media for turning up for his first pre-season at Real Madrid worse than his best shape. His love of junk food, including burgers and biscuits, proved hard to resist. “When I’m on vacation, I’m on vacation,” he said.

Hazard’s relaxed approach to preparation frustrated his Chelsea team-mates too — as Mikel John Obi told The Athletic in 2021: “Why was he so bad (as a trainer)? Oh my god! Eden, Eden, Eden… ahhhhh. Because he was so good, nobody said anything. He would turn up on a Saturday and win us the game, the man of the match. But on Monday and Tuesday, he would be at training and it was like he wasn’t even there.

“He just stood about, walking around. Everyone else is kicking each other, screaming in training matches and he didn’t do any of that. But you saw on the pitch how good he is. It’s just not fair that some people have that much talent!”

 

Hazard holding the 2016-17 Premier League trophy, his second league title at Chelsea (Ian Kington/AFP via Getty Images)

Hazard never craved the level of fame Messi and Ronaldo did. After scoring one of his greatest goals against Arsenal in a 3-1 victory in 2017, he did not go out to celebrate or bask in the replays shown on TV. He went home to be with his beloved wife Natacha and their children. They have always been his priority and that is how he has lived in Madrid as well.

Hazard could not match Messi or Ronaldo when it came to the commitment and drive to constantly work on his game. But he was far more relatable as a person. There was no ego when he talked to journalists. More often than not, there was a joke followed by a cheeky wink. His enthusiasm was infectious.

Even in the 2015-16 season, Chelsea’s worst during his time in London, Hazard provided the highlight. Injury and reports of a rift with Mourinho were having a detrimental effect on the Belgian’s form. When Mourinho was dismissed in December, Hazard sent him a message to apologise for his displays. But as far as Chelsea fans were concerned, Hazard more than made up for it when he scored a brilliant equaliser against Tottenham, which ensured their rivals could no longer win the title and Leicester were crowned champions instead. It was comfortably voted by fans as the club’s goal of the season.

Whether it was his best in a Chelsea shirt is hard to call. There were his two beautiful solo efforts against Liverpool at Anfield (2016 and 2018), plus the image of him waltzing past West Ham United players aplenty in April 2019.

After starring for Belgium at the 2018 World Cup, where he finished runner-up to Luka Modric in the vote for player of the tournament, Hazard agreed to give Chelsea one more season before fulfilling his lifelong ambition of moving to Real Madrid. He saved the best until last under Maurizio Sarri, with 21 goals and 17 assists.

Much was made about ‘Sarri-ball’ that year and what it actually consisted of. Fans would joke about how it consisted of lots of passing before giving the ball to Hazard for him to try something. It certainly worked in the Europa League final, which was Hazard’s final Chelsea appearance, as he scored twice and set up another in a 4-1 victory over Arsenal.

People will still wonder why he is leaving the game. He did consider playing somewhere else. There was not much in the reports linking him with clubs in Belgium, but a switch to MLS was given some thought because the lifestyle in the U.S. appealed. But essentially, nothing materialised because Hazard just wants to get on with enjoying his life.

We should count ourselves fortunate that he has given us a lot of memories with the ball at his feet to enjoy.

[Vesper 28,772]

Eden Hazard: An ode to football’s best slacker… and his helpful bum

https://theathletic.com/4948121/2023/10/11/eden-hazard-ode-slacker-bum/

Before we begin in earnest, let us address the obvious: Eden Hazard has a large posterior. 

The Belgian — who announced his retirement from football this week — dazzled football fans for years during his time at Lille, Chelsea and (to a lesser degree) Real Madrid. He was blessed with a low centre of gravity, fantastic balance, quick feet and an even quicker brain for deciding how to break down defences. 

He also had a big bum; something he used very well to enhance his other great talents.

“When the ball arrives at Hazard, he can already sense the opponent coming towards him, so he waits until the last moment and uses his bum to block them,” wrote Yaya Toure in 2021. “It pushes the opponent away — almost like a punch — and then, when he has opened up that space between him and the defender, he will power away and start the attack…

“The way he can control the ball after using his bum, the way he uses his bum and his body and his hips to protect the ball when defenders run at him, the way he can turn in any direction turn after the impact… it is unbelievable.” 

Hazard using his asset against Mallorca (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Hazard’s bum became a footballing in-joke, but it was a valuable method for the Belgian to protect himself against defenders who would try to kick him to pieces. In 2010, Lille youth academy director Jean-Michel Vandamme would come to the defence of a still-teenage Hazard finding his way in French football.

“He would never look for excuses when he didn’t do well on the pitch,” said Vandamme to France Football. “He is a real competitor, not a cheat, nor a moaner, because you don’t hear him complaining when he gets fouled.”

And Hazard was fouled a lot. In March 2014, when playing for Chelsea, the winger posted a photo of his ankle on Instagram following a Champions League game against Galatasaray. A tackle from former Lille team-mate Aurelien Chedjou had been so forceful it had ripped the then player’s sock. Hazard commented: “Thank you, family for the dedication on my skin… Hahaha. @aurelienchedjou21 love my man”.

Years later, a Nike advertisement series with Hazard carried the strapline, “They’ll leave their mark and I’ll leave mine.” Chelsea fans got used to the sight of Hazard walking down the tunnel at Stamford Bridge with blue and purple bruises on his legs after games. Ice packs would be applied after he was substituted.

When he wanted to, Hazard was a whirling dervish of attacking creativity. His dancing hips would confuse defenders while the ball would stick to his foot as he slalomed through tight spaces and provided moments of genius. But it was his bravery when taking on opposition players and riding challenges that would turn him into a Chelsea hero — and ultimately limit his later footballing success.

The Belgian’s peak on-ball performance was often without peer in the Premier League (until the blossoming of Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah). Occasionally, it would nudge him into the talent conversation along with greats like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Yet, while Ronaldo’s and Messi’s fastidiousness when it came to training and physical conditioning protected their bodies well into their thirties — and La Liga referees offered a degree of protection to Neymar — Hazard was a Premier League superstar who got the special “kick-him” treatment that was reserved for the most-feared players. This is demonstrated in the table below, which covers the player’s seven seasons in west London.

It was following Chelsea’s Premier League title win in 2014-15 that his manager Jose Mourinho tried to argue that Hazard was superior to Ronaldo, but also tried to warn the footballing world that the Chelsea star might not match Ronaldo’s longevity.

 

“In the Premier League last season, Eden was very lucky not to break a leg,” said the Chelsea boss. “He could have been injured many, many times. I saw lots of players breaking legs and ankles with less than that.

“I don’t want to say names because last season is finished and let’s have a fresh start. I won’t name Mr A, Mr B or Mr C, but he had some very nasty tackles last year. I would like more protection for him.”

GO DEEPER

Best Premier League performances: No 29, Eden Hazard for Chelsea v Sunderland

That protection never quite came for Hazard. Things were exacerbated further by Hazard’s often-casual approach to training. When he wanted to, Hazard was a game-breaking talent but, as Chelsea fans will attest, he could switch it off with the same insouciant shrug he would turn it on with.

He was among several players whose form shrank in Mourinho’s final season at Chelsea in 2015-16, only to reignite the following season. Premier League viewers were charmed by the idea that the force capable of magnificent goals against Liverpool, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur was also someone who avoided gym sessions at Cobham and often completed training sessions and warm-up drills with his shoelaces untied. 

Training for Chelsea in 2014 (Mike Hewitt via Getty Images)

“He didn’t run to defend much, didn’t train well, and five minutes before games he’d be playing Mario Kart in the dressing room,” said former Chelsea team-mate Filipe Luis.

The younger Hazard could shrug off challenges from defenders and laugh off his bruised ankles while charming and entertaining us. But as the years went on and the impact injuries accumulated, Hazard could not do those things as quickly as he used to.

When he signed for Real Madrid in 2019, he described it as a footballing dream. Yet, across his four years in Spain, he managed only seven goals and 12 assists as injuries limited him to 76 appearances across all competitions. Having started his senior career at the age of 16, he was largely spent by 30. 

GO DEEPER

Eden Hazard's Real Madrid career was derailed by one innocuous tackle

“He loves hamburgers and pizza, I saw him all the time in pizzerias,” said former Chelsea goalkeeper Marcin Bulka midway through his first season in Spain. “He doesn’t care about anything other than football and having a good time. In Chelsea, this was not a problem, but at Real, especially with the recent injury, he probably went a bit overboard with the weight.”

SEASON	INJURY	GAMES MISSED
2019-20	Hamstring injury	5
2019-20	Bruised ankle	1
2019-20	Hairline crack in foot	15
2019-20	Fissure of fibula	3
2019-20	Knock	2
2020-21	Knock	4
2020-21	Muscle injury	9
2020-21	Coronavirus	4
2020-21	Muscle injury	8
2020-21	Muscle injury	7
2020-21	Muscle injury	11
2020-21	Knock	1
2021-22	Hamstring injury	1 (for Belgium)
2021-22	Muscle problems	2
2021-22	Abdominal influenza	3
2021-22	Fissure of fibula	13
2022-23	Ankle injury	2
2022-23	Patella tendon irritation	4

There’s a photo of Hazard taken shortly after Real Madrid’s Champions League victory in 2022. Rather than drape his winner’s medal around his neck, he holds it aside to the cameras and gives a thumbs up. A small self-aware moment from a player who spent so much of his career being asked to decide the biggest games in football, winning one of the game’s biggest accolades in a match where he was an unused substitute.

Hazard won the 2022 Champions League with Madrid (David S Bustamante/Soccrates via Getty Images)

During the open-top bus parade that followed, Hazard would grab a microphone to address Madridistas who were still waiting on him to make good on the €100million (£89m) the club had paid to sign him. 

“I’ve been here for three years with many injuries, with many things. But next year I’m going to give it all for you.” But Hazard would play only 392 minutes for the side in 2022-23. The footballing brain might have been willing, but his body had largely ground to a halt.

There will be fond remembrance of Hazard’s football career, a shining jewel in Belgium’s Golden Generation and a modern Premier League great. A player who could bend the game to his own imagination. He trained and played with the cavalier spirit of a young man, ate like an even younger one, and retired with a body of work that compares to some of the most exceptional veterans of the game. 

GO DEEPER

The Premier League 60: No 16, Eden Hazard

 

Edited October 12, 2023 by Vesper

[Hamilton 2,120]

 

[Fulham Broadway 16,832]

Ball boy kicked by Hazard he is mates with now, and the Ball boy has amassed a 55 million pound fortune

Eden Hazard reunites with millionaire ballboy he kicked 11 years ago at Chelsea (msn.com)

[Vesper 28,772]

29 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Ball boy kicked by Hazard he is mates with now, and the Ball boy has amassed a 55 million pound fortune

Eden Hazard reunites with millionaire ballboy he kicked 11 years ago at Chelsea (msn.com)

they should make a limited edition AU vodka

Hazard boot flavour

[Strike 7,217]

1 hour ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Ball boy kicked by Hazard he is mates with now, and the Ball boy has amassed a 55 million pound fortune

Eden Hazard reunites with millionaire ballboy he kicked 11 years ago at Chelsea (msn.com)

That boy deserved to be kicked as far as I remember 😀

[lucio 5,418]

When he poked the ball from under a young man (who was pictured with tattoos , alcohol etc at the time ) and the anti Chelsea media acted like he stomped some 9 year old to death 

[Fulham Broadway 16,832]

Got to give it to the kid he's a marketing genius -that vodka is pretty average.

But stick it in a bling bottle and all the gullible rich people with more money than sense pay a fortune for it. 

[Gundalf 804]

If I buy a football related vodka, its Arnautovic vodka 😎