Eden Hazard: the good, the bad and the ugly
One of the most tiresome transfer sagas in football history is finally over, and unless he changes his mind yet again, it looks like Eden Hazard is going to Chelsea. Now that his destination is confirmed, it's time for Hazard to step up and prove he can do it in a new league, but does Hazard's past reveal how he'll adapt to English football? talkSPORT take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of Hazard's career to date...
THE GOOD
Hazard's reputation has been built on his big-game performances for Lille. Here are a few highlights…
Honours
Ligue 1 winner (2010/11)
Coupe de France winner (2010/11)
Ligue 1 Player of the Year (2010/11, 2011/12)
Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year (2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12)
Man of the match moments
Hazard's first big contribution to Lille came during an appearance from the bench against Sochaux in 2008. The then 17-year-old buried a right-footed shot from outside the box in the 88th minute to put Lille level with their rivals, and the goal made the Belgian Lille's youngest ever goalscorer.
Hazard scored this sublime free-kick in Lille's 1-0 win over Nancy on 7 May 2011. Match winning performances like this one would guide Lille to their first league and cup double since 1946.
Hazard continued to improve during the 2011/12 season, achieving a personal best of 20 league goals and 15 assists. Perhaps his biggest moment of genius came against PSG on 29 April 2012. Hazard started off by scoring a penalty to draw Lille level, but he soon bettered that with a ridiculous rabona assist for Lille's winner.
THE BAD
It's not all good when it comes to Hazard, and Chelsea fans may be alarmed to find out that in the past the Belgian has been accused of laziness. In September 2011, after a series of sub-par performances, Hazard was dropped to the Lille bench and spent the next four games as a substitute.
Around the same time, Belgium national coach Georges Leekens publicly criticised Hazard, citing a lack of punctuality and effort both at club and national level. Hazard responded to accusations of laziness by claiming he is “not a player who has to train or run a lot, I make decisive actions”. Hazard will have to get used to running more if he hopes to adapt the Premier League.
Hazard's international record in general is poor, and he has often been scrutinised for under-performing in a Belgium shirt. Despite receiving his first Belgium call-up in 2008, Hazard had to wait until October 2011 to score his first senior goal for his country, and has only scored one more since. Hazard's hot and cold displays for Belgium have resulted in him bouncing between the starting line-up and bench over his four year period as an international, suggesting he has difficulty adapting to new situations.
THE UGLY
By far the ugliest moment of Hazard's career came during a Euro 2012 qualifier for Belgium against Turkey. The attacker was substituted early in the second half with the score tied 1-1. Hazard immediately stormed out of the ground, and was spotted at a nearby burger stand soon after, with the game not yet finished. To make matters worse the whole incident was caught on camera, and has been dubbed “burgergate” in Belgium.
Is Eden Hazard all that or just a Big Time Charlie? Let us know below...