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Last night, Eden Hazard ripped through the West Ham defence, skipping past 6 players and scoring a magnificent goal, the sound of which will reverberate through Stamford Bridge for years to come.
Hazard is arguably the best thing that has happened to England since a young Portuguese wreaked havoc everywhere. He has carried the Chelsea team on his back for seven long years, and has been the one constant that has symbolised the "never give up" attitude of the Chelsea fans.
But at this juncture of his career, whether he leaves or stays, it is important for us to spend some time to take it all in and just celebrate the years of service that Hazard has given to Stamford Bridge. And it is important for the fans to understand how blessed they are that such a player played for the Blues.
What truly sets Hazard apart is the attitude with which he plays his football. For several years together, he has stepped on to the pitch, given his best and smiled through it all. The notion of playing football to enjoy is vividly visible in his playing style.
Hazard's calmness and composure were evident this year in the Carabao Cup final. When he stepped up to take the final penalty, with Chelsea on the back foot, he took a step or two backwards and calmly chipped it over Ederson. To do that in a final with your team losing is simply audacious, and takes a lot of heart.
The Premier League is known to be one of the most physical leagues in Europe, and Hazard has had his fair shares of tackles. From taking on Ashley Young to dealing with Vincent Kompany, Hazard has gone head-to-head with every defender, and taken all of their yellow and red card worthy tackles with a smile.
Every time a defender pushes him, shoves him or even scissor-kicks him, Hazard falls, gets back up, smiles and shakes hands with the perpetrator. This shows how he never lets his ego control himself, and always replies with the ball.
The team has always been more important for Hazard than individual glory; on countless occasions, instead of taking the selfish shot, he decided to give the pass to a teammate in a better position. Hazard has put the team above everything else, and he doesn't care about his personal accolades.
Recently, when he won his 100th cap for Belgium, he said that he would put it alongside all the other trophies in his garage.
While the debate around whether Hazard should be leaving or staying at Cobham rages on, it is important to note that the years that we have enjoyed watching him have been some of the best years at Stamford Bridge. All Chelsea fans would appreciate Hazard for being an absolutely selfless player, giving the club all he had.
Hazard will always be Chelsea's pride, and also the pride of London.
