Eden Hazard (French pronunciation: [edɛn azɑʁ]; born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian international footballer who plays for English club Chelsea in the Premier League and the Belgium national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger.
Hazard is known for his creativity, speed, and technical ability and is
described as a "fearless, explosive attacking midfielder who can change
the game with a turn of pace or a dribble".[2][3][4]
He has also been described as "a defender's nightmare" and has earned
critical acclaim for his playing style, which has led to the media,
coaches, and players drawing comparisons to FIFA World Player of the Year winners Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Hazard is the son of former Belgian footballers and began his
football career in Belgium playing for local clubs Royal Stade Brainois
and
Tubize. In 2005, he moved to France joining
first division
club Lille. Hazard spent two years in the club's academy and, at the
age of 16, made his professional debut in November 2007. In his first
full season as a starter, he won the
National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP)
Young Player of the Year award becoming the first non-French player to win the award.
In the
2009–10 season, Hazard captured the award again becoming the first player to win the award twice.
He was also named to the league's
Team of the Year. Since making his debut in 2007, Hazard has become an integral part of the club under manager
Rudi Garcia racking up over 190 appearances. In the
2010–11 season, he was a part of the Lille team that won the
league and cup double and, as a result of his performances, was named the
UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year becoming the youngest player to win the award.
Hazard was also given the
Bravo Award by
Italian magazine
Guerin Sportivo for his performances during the 2010–11 season.
In June 2012, after over eight years at Lille, Hazard departed the club, amid much transfer speculation, to join English club
Chelsea.
Hazard is a
Belgium international, having represented his nation at
under-17 and
under-19 level. Prior to starring for the senior team, he played on the under-17 team that qualified for the
2007 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship and
2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Hazard made his senior international debut in November 2008, at the age of 17 years and 316 days, in a
friendly match against
Luxembourg. Nearly three years after his debut, Hazard scored his first international goal against
Kazakhstan in October 2011.
Chelsea
In May 2012, Hazard revealed, via his official
Twitter account, that he would joining
Premier League
club Chelsea stating "I'm signing for the champion's league winner".
However, neither Lille nor Chelsea confirmed the statement.
On 4 June, Chelsea officially confirmed on its website that the club
had agreed terms with Lille for the transfer of Hazard. The midfielder
agreed personal terms with the club and passed a medical examination.
The transfer fee was rumoured to be priced at £32 million, while Hazard
will reportedly receive a weekly wage of around £170,000.
Upon signing with Chelsea, Hazard told the club's official website "I'm
delighted to finally arrive here. It's a wonderful club and I can't
wait to get started".
Hazard was given the number 17, which was previously worn by
José Bosingwa.
On 18 July, Hazard made his Chelsea debut in the club's first pre-season friendly against the
Seattle Sounders and played the majority of the match, opening his Chelsea scoring account.
2012–13 season
On 12 August 2012, Hazard made his competitive debut for Chelsea in the
2012 FA Community Shield against
Manchester City, which ended in a 3–2 defeat at
Villa Park.
A week later, he made his league debut against
Wigan Athletic. In the contest, Hazard provided the assist for
Branislav Ivanović's opening goal and, minutes later, won a penalty, which
Frank Lampard converted, earning his side a 2–0 victory.
In the team's next fixture against
Reading on 22 August, he won another penalty from which Lampard converted. Hazard also assisted on goals by
Gary Cahill and Ivanović as Chelsea won 4–2 at
Stamford Bridge.
Three days later, Hazard scored his first goal as a Chelsea player in the team's league match against
Newcastle United after scoring a penalty. Chelsea won the match 2–0.
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