Eden Hazard

[Vesper 27,317]

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 2,118]

 

[Fulham Broadway 16,393]

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 27,317]

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 6,961]

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 5,395]

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 16,393]

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 726]

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

 

[Blue Armour 4,165]

3 hours ago, lucio said:

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 

Hack media is still perpetuating that story.

Some journalists are truly scum of the earth.

[nyikolajevics 2,422]

Kinda sad to see these photos though.. Hazard is 33, should still be kicking around, not making ad photos with this moron he used to kick in the ass..

Willian is 3 years older than him. After an unsuccesful spell at Arsenal, spending few years at Brazil, came back to PL and - to my surprise - still good!

[bluesman2610 1,226]

1 hour ago, nyikolajevics said:

Kinda sad to see these photos though.. Hazard is 33, should still be kicking around, not making ad photos with this moron he used to kick in the ass..

Willian is 3 years older than him. After an unsuccesful spell at Arsenal, spending few years at Brazil, came back to PL and - to my surprise - still good!

Willian always had an engine and was peak fitness. Hazard the opposite 

[Vesper 27,317]

Eden Hazard: I’d gain five kilos before Real Madrid and Chelsea seasons

Forward, who retired at 32 after time in Spain was plagued by injuries and poor form, reveals indulgent lifestyle and how he struggled with Antonio Conte’s training

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/eden-hazard-id-gain-five-kilos-before-real-madrid-and-Chelsea-seasons-30l3cl7xw

Eden Hazard has revealed the extent of his weight problems during his playing career, admitting that he put on five kilos in pre-seasons and could not resist Belgian beer after matches.

Hazard enjoyed seven trophy-laden seasons at Chelsea, but the forward failed to reach the same heights after becoming Real Madrid’s star signing for an initial £88.3 million in 2019. Owing to a plague of injuries, Hazard played only 76 times in four seasons at Real before retiring aged 32 in October last year.

Speaking on the Obi One podcast with his former Chelsea team-mate John Obi Mikel, Hazard confirmed the widespread reports that he arrived at Real pre-season overweight when he first moved to the Spanish capital.

“It was true, but me, every summer, I was putting on four or five kilos because I was thinking you give so much for ten months, you put your body at the highest level and people kick you, so your time off is your time off,” Hazard said.

 

“Don’t ask me to do anything. I enjoy being with my family, going to the beach, so don’t ask me to run in those three or four weeks. I can play football on the beach with my kids, no problem, but don’t ask me to run.

“But if you look throughout my career, the first month [of the season] is the bit where I was thinking, ‘It’s just the beginning,’ and then from September and October I was flying, because I needed time to put my body and mind in the best way. So yes, it’s true, I came back after holidays with five kilos, I knew it.

• Tom Allnutt: Retirement of Eden Hazard shows power of luck in pitiless football

“I love everything with family and friends. If you ask me to eat something I’m going to eat. Even if I don’t like it, I’m going to eat. As a Belgian guy, we love beers because my country has the best beers in the world, so I’m not telling you I used to drink every day because it’s not true, but sometimes after a good game, one or two is nice.”

According to Transfermarkt, Hazard missed only 26 games for club and country through injury during his seven years at Chelsea. In four years at Real he missed 95, but the Belgian insists there is little he could have changed to hit the ground running.

“I was a bit unlucky with that period with Covid, because I went to Dallas to do surgery on my ankle then I came back to Madrid and it was Covid,” Hazard said. “I had 2½ months of Covid, me at home alone, no physio to do the rehab. I did my rehab alone. If I had to choose one thing to change I should have said to the doctor, ‘Bring a physio, I need a good rehab. I have to do [it] because I want to play at the highest level’.

“When Covid finished, I pushed my body like crazy but my ankle was not the same. We were that close to being champions so I was saying to [Zinedine] Zidane [the Real head coach], ‘I want to push, I want to go,’ and then the day we finished champions I said, ‘No, I can’t do any more, I’m finished. My body is suffering a lot so I need to do a proper rehab’. And then I break everything the season after.”

Having joined Chelsea in 2012, Hazard won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup, two Europa League trophies, and was the Premier League’s player of the season in 2014-15. He claims that Antonio Conte, with whom he won the Premier League in 2016-17 and FA Cup in 2018, is the manager that brought the best out of him at Stamford Bridge — but only because he enjoyed game days so much after struggling with the Italian’s tactically intense training sessions.

“I think my best time at Chelsea was with Conte,” Hazard said. “All the week, training. I was going out Saturday, I need to enjoy a little bit because I know the day after is going to be back on the training ground. I have to do something, it’s my only 90 minutes I can enjoy.

“You remember him, stopping [training], tactics, ‘No we have to do that’. Saturday was the best day for me.”

[Hamilton 2,118]

 

[Hamilton 2,118]

 

[Vesper 27,317]

8 hours ago, Hamilton said:

 

Goalkeeper? Defender? No, we keep ball all the time, so no need.

Roflmaooooooo

[Blue Armour 4,165]

18 hours ago, Hamilton said:

 

What a personality, this guy.