One of the most visually appealing things when it comes to football is the on-ball wizardry and deadly dribbling of some players: the nimble footwork, the slick one-touch passing, the sheer audacity to get past a barrage of defenders through clever dribbling.
One player who mastered the aforementioned traits is Eden Hazard, who is, without any qualms, one of the best dribblers of this generation.
Born on January 7, 1991, in La Louviere, Belgium, Hazard joined his hometown club Royal Stade Brainois at the age of four. He spent eight years at the club before moving to Tubize, which is where Lille scouts spotted him.
Hazard moved to France to join Lille's youth academy in 2007 at the age of 16, where he initially played for the reserve team. He made his first-team and professional debut on November 24, 2007, in a Ligue 1 match against Nancy, where he came on as a substitute in the 78th minute.
He quickly established himself as one of the most talented young players in France, helping Lille win the league and cup double in the 2010-11 season.
In 2012, Hazard moved to Chelsea for a reported fee of £32 million. He went on to win two Premier League titles, two Europa Leagues, one FA Cup, and one League Cup during his seven-year spell at the club. Hazard was also named Chelsea Player of the Year on four occasions.
In 2019, Hazard joined Real Madrid for a reported fee of €100 million, which, according to Hazard, had always been his dream club. However, the Belgian's move to the Santiago Bernabeu didn't turn out to be beneficial to either party as he has had an injury-ridden time in Madrid and continues to be out of favour for current manager Carlo Ancelotti.
When it comes to his international career, Hazard represented Belgium at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups, as well as the 2016 and 2020 UEFA European Championships. He has been named Belgian Player of the Year on three occasions (2017, 2018, 2019) and led the Red Devils to a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup, where he won the Silver Ball.
Known for his dribbling skills, creativity, and eye for goal, Hazard is widely regarded as one of the best attacking players of his generation. He has won numerous individual awards throughout his career and is considered a legend at both Chelsea and Lille.
Although we have come to witness Hazard's absurd talent week in, and week out for a long time, what are some of the most interesting facts about the Belgian that you absolutely must know?