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He came, he saw, he (almost) conquered. That was the story of Eden hazard’s first season in English football. Chelsea fans would remember the great beginning of his life at Stamford Bridge. His trickery on the ball was too much for the defenders, as he earned two penalties in his first two league matches, he also had three assists in these two matches and scored his first Chelsea goal in only his third league match.
Hazard was the most sought after player of the 2012 summer transfer window, and the race to recruit the wizard became the longest and most discussed transfer saga of 2012. In the end, Chelsea acquired the services of the diminutive midfielder for 32 million euros beating both Manchester clubs to his signature.
A lot of discussions were held over the whopping transfer sum paid by Chelsea, but the London club felt that any amount is too less for a player of his standard. After all, football legend Zinedine Zidane once that “Eden is technically gifted and very fast. I would take him to Real Madrid with my eyes closed. He can become a great footballer, he is a star of the future”.
Hazard’s form dipped a bit towards the end of his first season, but it would be too harsh to be critical of him, as it was a long campaign for someone who was new to English football. He was involved in 52 games last season for Chelsea, score 14 goals and had 20 assists. Nevertheless, the attacking midfielder was pivotal for Chelsea, as the Blues won the Europa League and secured Champions League qualification.
This season has been even better for the Belgian. His assists have come down, but he has stepped-up his scoring this season. Hazard has scored an impressive 18 goals in 46 appearances this season in all competitions, and has 10 assists to his name. He has been the most important player for Chelsea this season, and his attacking prowess is a major part of Chelsea’s armoury.
Chelsea’s stand to invest heavily in the 21 year old young footballer two years ago was vindicated last Sunday, when the Belgian was awarded the PFA Young player of the Year award. The award was testament of the fact that Hazard has been one of the best player in England (virtually in the world) this season, if not the best.
The Belgian has worked hard on the training ground to earn the accolades and the admiration that has come his way. He must be credited for the hard work he has put in, as he was not always known for it. He was labelled ‘lazy’ at the start of 2010-11 campaign by then Belgium national team coach Georges Leekens. In the same season, he was dropped from the starting line-up at Lille and didn’t start a league game until November. However, times have changed since then, and so has Hazard.
He is now an integral part of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea squad, which is known for their high work-rate. He is dangerous going forward, but also puts in a great shift to protect his defenders in each game. His dedication towards the game is an example for budding footballers. Above all, he is still only 23 and is expected to improve further and rise higher in the world of football.
