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Hazard is the son of former Belgian football players Carine and Thierry Hazard and began his football career in Belgium playing for local clubs Royal Stade Brainois and [[A.F.C. Tubize|Tubize]]. In 2005, he ventured to [[France]] joining [[Ligue 1|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) [[Trophées UNFP du football#Young Player of the Year|Young Player of the Year]] award becoming the first non-French player to win the award.<ref>{{cite news |title=Eden Hazard prolonge son contrat au LOSC|url=http://www.losc.fr/?r=0,0,18,4500 |work=[[Lille OSC]] |date= |accessdate=10 April 2010 | language = French}}</ref> In the [[2009–10 Ligue 1|2009–10 season]], Hazard captured the award again becoming the first player to win the award twice.<ref name ="young_player">{{cite news |title=Hazard named Young Player of Year|url=http://www.ligue1.com/ligue1/lireArticle.asp?origine=RSS&idArticle=13308|work=[[Ligue de Football Professionnel]] |date=25 May 2009 |accessdate=10 April 2010 }}</ref> He was also named to the league's [[Trophées UNFP du football#Team of the Year|Team of the Year]]. Since making his debut in 2007, Hazard has become an integral part of the club under [[Coach (sport)|manager]] [[Rudi Garcia]] racking up over 140 appearances. In the [[2010–11 in French football|2010–11 season]], he was a part of the Lille team that won the [[The double|league and cup double]] and, as a result of his performances, was named the [[Trophées UNFP du football#Player of the Year|UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year]] becoming the youngest player to win the award.<ref name="hazard_player">{{cite news |title=UNFP: Trophées UNFP du football Un petit coin de paradis...|url=http://www.unfp.org/a-la-une/actualite-detaille/cat/19/article/un-petit-coin-de-paradis.html |work=[[National Union of Professional Footballers]] |date= 22 May 2011 |accessdate=22 May 2011 | language = French}}</ref>
Hazard is the son of former Belgian football players Carine and Thierry Hazard and began his football career in Belgium playing for local clubs Royal Stade Brainois and [[A.F.C. Tubize|Tubize]]. In 2005, he ventured to [[France]] joining [[Ligue 1|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) [[Trophées UNFP du football#Young Player of the Year|Young Player of the Year]] award becoming the first non-French player to win the award.<ref>{{cite news |title=Eden Hazard prolonge son contrat au LOSC|url=http://www.losc.fr/?r=0,0,18,4500 |work=[[Lille OSC]] |date= |accessdate=10 April 2010 | language = French}}</ref> In the [[2009–10 Ligue 1|2009–10 season]], Hazard captured the award again becoming the first player to win the award twice.<ref name ="young_player">{{cite news |title=Hazard named Young Player of Year|url=http://www.ligue1.com/ligue1/lireArticle.asp?origine=RSS&idArticle=13308|work=[[Ligue de Football Professionnel]] |date=25 May 2009 |accessdate=10 April 2010 }}</ref> He was also named to the league's [[Trophées UNFP du football#Team of the Year|Team of the Year]]. Since making his debut in 2007, Hazard has become an integral part of the club under [[Coach (sport)|manager]] [[Rudi Garcia]] racking up over 140 appearances. In the [[2010–11 in French football|2010–11 season]], he was a part of the Lille team that won the [[The double|league and cup double]] and, as a result of his performances, was named the [[Trophées UNFP du football#Player of the Year|UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year]] becoming the youngest player to win the award.<ref name="hazard_player">{{cite news |title=UNFP: Trophées UNFP du football Un petit coin de paradis...|url=http://www.unfp.org/a-la-une/actualite-detaille/cat/19/article/un-petit-coin-de-paradis.html |work=[[National Union of Professional Footballers]] |date= 22 May 2011 |accessdate=22 May 2011 | language = French}}</ref>


Hazard is a [[Belgium national football team|Belgium international]] having represented his nation at [[Belgium national under-17 football team|under-17]] and [[Belgium national under-19 football team|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 [[Exhibition match|friendly match]] against [[Luxembourg national football team|Luxembourg]]. On 23rd May 2011 Hazard signed for English Premier League Team Tottenham Hospur for an undisclosed fee.
Hazard is a [[Belgium national football team|Belgium international]] having represented his nation at [[Belgium national under-17 football team|under-17]] and [[Belgium national under-19 football team|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 [[Exhibition match|friendly match]] against [[Luxembourg national football team|Luxembourg]]. On 23rd May 2011 Hazard signed for English Premier League Team Liverpool F.C. for an undisclosed fee.


== Personal life ==
== Personal life ==

Revision as of 13:02, 23 May 2011

Eden Hazard
File:Eden en selection Belge.jpg
Personal information
Full name Eden Hazard
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Winger
Team information
Current team
Liverpool FC
Number 26
Youth career
1998–2003 Royal Stade Brainois
2003–2005 Tubize
2005–2007 Lille
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–11 Lille 108 (16)
2011- Liverpool FC 0 (0)
International career
2007–2008 Belgium U17 17 (4)
2008–2009 Belgium U19 9 (6)
2008– Belgium 19 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 May 2011
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 March 2011

Eden Hazard (born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian football player who currently plays for French club Lille in Ligue 1 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.[2][5][6][7][8][9][10]

Hazard is the son of former Belgian football players Carine and Thierry Hazard and began his football career in Belgium playing for local clubs Royal Stade Brainois and Tubize. In 2005, he ventured 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.[11] In the 2009–10 season, Hazard captured the award again becoming the first player to win the award twice.[12] 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 140 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.[13]

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. On 23rd May 2011 Hazard signed for English Premier League Team Liverpool F.C. for an undisclosed fee.

Personal life

Hazard was born in the city of La Louvière, but was raised in Braine-le-Comte, a small town in the Wallonia region. He grew up in a football dominant family. His mother, Carine, and father, Thierry (not to be confused with the French singer and songwriter of the same name) were both footballers in Belgium. His father spent most of his career playing in the Belgian Second Division with R.A.A. Louviéroise, while his mother played as a striker in the Belgian Women's First Division.[14] Hazard is the eldest of four children. He has three younger brothers all of whom play football. Thorgan, 17, plays in the youth academy of Lille's most hated rivals RC Lens.[15][16][17] Hazard's other younger brothers Kylian, 15, and Ethan, seven, remain in Belgium playing in the youth academy of Eden's former club A.F.C. Tubize.[15] Kylian is set to join Lille when he turns 16.[18] Hazard and his three brothers were raised in a comfortable environment with their parents ensuring they had whatever they needed to excel.[19] The family lived "no more than three meters" from a football training ground and the brothers often ventured onto a training pitch through a small hole in order to hone and develop their skills.[14] Hazard is currently is a relationship with girlfriend Natasha. On 19 December, Belgian and French media announced that she had given birth to a baby boy.[20][21]

Club career

Early career

Hazard began his football career playing for hometown club Royal Stade Brainois. He spent five years at the club before moving to Tubize. Hazard was spotted by a Lille scout while playing in a local tournament with the club. The scout's subsequent report on the player prompted club officials to meet with Hazard's father and offer the young player an aspirant (youth) contract.[22] Hazard's parents accepted the offer with hopes that the training facilities in France would be better.[19] Hazard's father later admitted that the decision to let Eden and, later Thorgan, join clubs in the North of France was the best solution stating "They remained so close to home and, at the same time, they integrated at structures where they could grow, because in Belgium, unfortunately, it's a little empty for the training of youth".[14]

Lille

Hazard joined Lille in 2005 and spent two years developing in the club's youth academy in Luchin. On 28 May 2007, he signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal with Lille.[22] At the start of the 2007–08 season, at the age of 16, Hazard was promoted to the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth level of French football, though he still played with Lille's under-18 team in its league and the Coupe Gambardella. Hazard made his amateur debut on 1 September 2007 in a league match against Racing Club de France appearing as a second half substitute in a 3–1 defeat.[23] He made his first start a week later in the team's 1–0 defeat to Lesquin.[24]

After spending the majority of October and the early part of November playing with the club's under-18 team, on November 14, due to several players being on international duty, Hazard was called up to the senior team by manager Claude Puel to participate in a friendly match against Belgian club Bruges on 16 November.[25] He appeared as a substitute in the match and, as a result of his performance, was included in the 18-man squad to face Nancy in a league match on 24 November.[26] Hazard, subsequently, made his professional debut in the match coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute.[27] Hazard returned to the club's reserve team and spent December playing with the squad. Following the winter break, Hazard returned to the first team in January and made substitute appearances in three league matches against Metz, Sochaux, and Paris Saint-Germain.[28][29][30] After-wards, he was relegated back to the amateur level where he played concurrently with the reserve team in the fourth division and the under-18 team in the Coupe Gambardella. On 17 May 2008, he scored his first amateur goal in a 3–2 victory over Vitré.[31] Hazard finished his amateur career with 11 appearances and one goal helping the reserve team finished in fifth place, which was first among professional clubs' reserve teams playing in the group.[32][33]

2008–09 season

For the 2008–09 season, Hazard switched to the number 26 shirt and was promoted to the senior team permanently by new manager Rudi Garcia. Early on, he made substitute appearances regularly making his season debut as a substitute on 14 September 2008 against Sochaux in a 1–1 draw.[34] One of his substitute appearances proved beneficial against Auxerre on 20 September. With Lille trailing 2–1 in the waning minutes of the match, Hazard, after Lille took a corner kick, quickly scooped up a short clearance from Auxerre and took a right-footed shot just outside the box. It beat the keeper and drew the score 2–2 in the 88th minute.[35] With Lille's confidence high, the club won the match 3–2 in injury time following a goal from Tulio de Melo.[36] Hazard's first career goal resulted in him becoming the youngest goalscorer in the club's history.[37] Four days after scoring his first professional goal, Hazard made his first professional start in a 4–2 defeat on penalties to Montpellier in the Coupe de la Ligue.[38] After featuring as a substitute in the team's next five league matches, on 15 November, Hazard made his first professional league start against Saint-Étienne. He capped the appearance by scoring the opening goal in the club's 3–0 victory.[39] His positive performances with the club resulted in Lille offering him a three-year contract extension, which he agreed to on 18 November 2008, tying him to the club until 2012.[40]

After featuring as a substitute in December, Hazard returned to the starting lineup in January. On 23 January, he scored the second goal in a 3–0 win over amateur club Dunkerque in Round of 32 of the Coupe de France.[41] Two weeks later, he scored a game-winning goal in a league match against Sochaux and, on 22 February, assisted on the winner against Monaco.[42][43] In the Round of 16 of the Coupe de France, Hazard netted a goal in a 3–2 win over the competition's defending champions Lyon.[44] On 26 April, he scored the opening goal against Marseille, though Lille lost the match 2–1.[45] In the final ten league matches of the campaign, Hazard started eight and contributed to the team finishing in 5th place, which resulted in Lille qualifying for the newly-created UEFA Europa League. After the season, he was named the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Young Player of the Year, becoming the first international player to achieve the honor.[12]

2009–10 season

“Eden is technically gifted and very fast. He will be a major star in the future. I would take him to Real Madrid with my eyes closed."

Zinedine Zidane, on Eden Hazard.[46][47]

Following the 2008–09 season, constant media speculation occurred in numerous countries regarding Hazard's availability on the transfer market. Despite Lille chairman Michel Seydoux declaring the player off limits and Hazard stating that he wanted to remain at the club for at least another season, several clubs declared interest in the player.[48][49] Notable clubs included English clubs Arsenal and Manchester United, Italian club Internazionale, and Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. French football legend Zinedine Zidane personally recommended the player to the latter club.[50][51][52][53][54]

Hazard began the 2009–10 season on a quick note scoring in the Lille's first competitive match of the season. The goal, contributing to the team's 2–0 victory, came against Serbian club FK Sevojno in the first leg of the club's third qualifying round match in the UEFA Europa League.[55] On 27 August, he scored his second career European goal in the club's second leg tie in the playoff round against Belgian club Genk. It was Lille's final goal in the club's 4–2 victory.[56] The 6–3 aggregate scoreline assured the club progression to the Europa League group stage. On 22 October, he scored a goal in Lille's important 3–0 victory over Italian club Genoa in the 84th minute after entering as a substitute 10 minutes prior. Upon receiving the ball on the left wing, Hazard proceeded to dash through the midfield dribbling past six Genoa defenders before finishing at the 18-yard box.[57][58] A month later, Hazard was instrumental in Lille's 5–1 thrashing of Czech club Slavia Prague as he was partly responsible for the opening goal after slicing through the defense and delivering a cross near post, which awkwardly went off Slavia player Marek Suchý resulting in an own goal.[59]

On 20 December, he scored his first league goal of the season in the club's 3–0 win over Le Mans. Hazard also provided both the assists on the other two goals.[60] On 30 January, Hazard scored the only goal in Lille's win over Derby du Nord rivals Lens.[61] The victory helped the club achieve stability in the league by keeping them in the UEFA Champions League places and, also, ended a disaster of a week which saw Lille suffer elimination from both of France's cup competitions. Five days later, Hazard and Lille reached an agreement on a contract extension, which will keep the player at the club until 2014.[62][63] On 11 March, Hazard scored the only goal in Lille's victory over English club Liverpool in the first leg of the club's UEFA Europa League tie converting a free kick in the 83rd minute.[64] Three weeks later, Hazard provided two assists in the club's 4–1 win over fellow title contenders Montpellier.[65] The two passes brought his league tally to seven, tied for second in the league. For his impressive displays in the month of March, Hazard was given the UNFP Player of the Month award.[66]

On 29 April, Hazard was nominated for the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year award. He was also nominated, for the second consecutive season, for the Young Player of the Year award.[67] On 9 May, Hazard was awarded the UNFP Young Player of the Year trophy for the second consecutive season. He is the first player, since the award's inception in 1994, to win the award twice.[12] Hazard lost out on the Player of the Year award, which was awarded to Lyon striker Lisandro López.

2010–11 season

Hazard began the 2010–11 campaign as a starter featuring in Lille's first six league matches of the season, as well as matches in the UEFA Europa League. On 29 August 2010, he scored his first goal of the season in a 1–1 draw with Nice.[68] In late September, Hazard began to struggle with inconsistency and was benched by Garcia in an effort to "allow him (Hazard) to breathe and learn that his performances were insufficient".[69] Hazard, subsequently, appeared as a substitute in the team's 2–1 defeat to Portuguese club Sporting in the Europa League and as a substitute in the next three league matches against Toulouse, Montpellier, and Lyon.[70][71][72] Hazard later admitted that his first bout of inconsistency affected him stating "The first two months were a bit tough. I wouldn’t say that I began doubting my abilities, but I definitely went through a really patchy spell".[73]

On 7 October, Belgium national team manager Georges Leekens, citing Hazard's recent spell on the bench at Lille, said that the player needed to work harder, both physically and mentally, to regain his past year's form. The team's assistant coach, Marc Wilmots, also stated that Hazard often displayed a lazy mentality while training with the national team.[74] Garcia responded to Leekens comments the following day stating that he thought they were "excessive" and that "Eden is only 19 years old" and can still "make more progress in all areas."[75] Following Belgium's match against Kazakhstan, in which Hazard failed to start or even appear on the substitute's bench, Leekens responded to Garcia's comments declaring that he would stand by his previous comments and that players must think about the team and not themselves.[76] Hazard, himself, later reflected on Leekens and Garcia comments in February 2011 stating "I learned a lot during those few weeks, mentally speaking. And since then things have got better. The national side has had a fair bit to do with that – I get a lot out of being a part of it".[73]

Following the international break, Hazard re-captured his scoring form netting the final goal in Lille's 4–1 victory over Caen in the Coupe de la Ligue on 27 October.[77] Ten days later, he scored his second league goal of the season in a 3–1 win against the league table leaders Brest.[78] On 21 November, Hazard assisted on both Lille's goals in a 2–1 win over Monaco.[79] The victory continued the club's domestic unbeaten streak, which led to Lille topping the league table following an emphatic 6–3 victory against Lorient on 5 December.[80] Hazard began the 2011 portion of the season scoring in the team's first match of the new year against amateur club Forbach in the Coupe de France. Lille won the match 3–1.[81] In the team's following match, he assisted on goals scored by Moussa Sow and Gervinho in a 2–0 league victory over Nice.[82] On 19 January, Hazard scored the second goal in a 3–0 victory over Nancy.[83] On 4 March, Lille officials confirmed that Hazard had added an extra year to his contract. The new deal ties him to the club until 2015.[84][85] In his first match after the news, Hazard scored the opening goal in Lille's 2–1 away win over title rivals Marseille.[86] The goal was scored on a left-footed shot from almost 35 metres (38 yd) out.[87]

On 2 April, Hazard capped his 100th league appearance with Lille by scoring the second goal in a 3–1 win over Caen.[88] The goal tied his career-high for goals in a season and also moved Lille eight points clear as league leader in the table.[89] For his performances in the month of March, Hazard was named the UNFP Player of the Month for the second time in his career.[90] On 19 April, after appearing as a first half substitute, he scored the opening goal in Lille's 2–0 Coupe de France semi-final victory over Nice.[91] The victory inserted the club into the 2011 Coupe de France Final; the club's first appearance in the competition's final since 1955. On 7 May, Hazard converted a game-winning free-kick goal in the team's 1–0 win over Nancy.[92] Three days later, he was nominated for the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season.[93] In the Coupe de France final, Hazard played 89 minutes as Lille defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 at the Stade de France.[94] A week later, Lille clinched the Ligue 1 title by drawing 2-2 away to Paris Saint-Germain, achieving the club's first league championship since the 1953–54 season and the club's first double since the 1945–46 season.[95][96] The domestic cup and league title were the first two honours in Hazard's career. On the day after Lille won the league, Hazard was named the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year becoming the youngest player ever to win the award.[97] He was also rewarded with a place in the organization's Team of the Year for the second consecutive season.[13]

International career

Eden has played for various Belgian national youth teams, such as the under-17 and under-19 teams. With the under-17 team, Hazard was a regular in the team making 17 appearances and scoring four goals. He played with the team in the Toto Cup, a yearly international youth tournament held in Austria and, also, played in the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, which Belgium hosted. In the tournament, Hazard scored his only goal in the team's opening match against the Netherlands converting a penalty in a 2–2 draw.[98] Throughout the tournament, Hazard impressed media and coaches, which led to many in Belgium comparing him to Belgian football legend Enzo Scifo.[99][100][101] Belgium suffered elimination in the semi-final portion of the competition losing to Spain 7–6 on penalties. Belgium were minutes away from a victory, courtesy of an own goal from David Rochela, which Hazard was particularly instrumental in, however Barcelona striker Bojan Krkić equalized for his nation to send the match into extra time.[102] Due to finishing in third place at the tournament, Belgium qualified for the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup, held in South Korea. Hazard was selected to participate and played in all three group stage matches, where Belgium were eliminated.

Hazard bypassed the Belgian under-18 team and began earning call-ups to the under-19 team in October 2007. His first appearance came in a 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship qualification match against Romania coming on as a substitute in a 4–0 victory.[103] He subsequently played in the next two group stage matches against Iceland and England. Belgium lost both matches.[104][105] The negative results eliminated the country from the tournament. Due to being an underage player the previous year, Hazard was eligible for the under-19 team for the 2008–09 season. Due to his increase participation with Lille's first team, Hazard was only allowed participation in 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship qualification matches by his club and, as a result, missed the 2008 edition of the Milk Cup, which was held during Lille's preseason. On 7 October 2008, he scored his first under-19 goal in the team's 5–0 victory over Estonia.[106] Three days later, he scored a double in a 2–2 draw with Croatia.[107] In the Elite Round, Hazard led the team in goals scoring three. In the opening match against the Republic of Ireland, he scored the lone goal.[108] In the next match, Hazard was influential in the team's 5–0 thrashing of Sweden scoring a goal and assisting on two others.[109] In the team's final match, they faced Switzerland. Belgium needed an outright victory to progress to the 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, but were eliminated from qualifying after drawing 1–1 with the Swiss, despite Hazard opening the scoring for Belgium in the 21st minute.[110]

Although, Hazard is still eligible to represent Belgium on youth level, on 18 November 2008, he was called up to the Belgium senior team, for the first time, for the team's match against Luxembourg.[111] He made his highly anticipated debut in that match coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute for Wesley Sonck.[112] On his debut, Hazard became the eighth youngest player in Belgian football history at 17 years and 316 days to play for the national team.[113] On 12 August 2009, after consecutive substitute appearances with the team, he made his first start in the team's 3–1 friendly loss to the Czech Republic.[114]

Style of play

Hazard primarily plays as either an attacking midfielder or a winger and has been credited as being "possibly the outstanding talent in Europe right now".[115] Under Lille manager Rudi Garcia, Hazard often plays in the latter role in the team's 4–3–3 formation and regularly switches flanks due to his ability to effectively use both feet. Two of Hazard's most common exemplary traits is his pace and technical ability, which has been described as both "astonishing" and "mesmerizing", respectively.[73] Club captain Rio Mavuba described Hazard as "a great player, with an immense talent. He’s actually not that big, but he’s so fast. He’s also very difficult to dispossess and his finishing is top notch".[73] Hazard's pace coupled with his finishing and inability to be dispossessed easily led to his former coach Claude Puel dubbing him "little Messi", in reference to the Barcelona star.[5] Puel's sentiments were later echoed by former Marseille manager and media personality Rolland Courbis who commented "At times it looks to me like Lionel Messi on the right-hand side".[69] Hazard's "flair and tricky" style of play has been described as being similar to Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo; a comparison later repeated by former French international Christophe Dugarry.[116][117] His vision, described as being the trait he has improved on the most, has allowed him to develop into an effective passer, which compensates for his relatively low goal-scoring output.[118]

In Belgium, Hazard's talent and similar ascension up the country's football hierarchy has led to comparisons to former Belgian international Enzo Scifo.[15][119] Both players share the same birthplace and Scifo himself spent time with Hazard while he was in Tubize admitting "Eden, you know, I've coached in Tubize. During the week, I took care of the young people at least once, and he, in those days, I immediately saw he had a secure future".[119] However, despite the positive opinions, Hazard has endured criticism from some. His former national team coach and mentor Dick Advocaat agreed with the majority in that Hazard possessed everything required to be a world-class player, however Advocaat admitted that the attacker lacked charisma stating "I told him to have more charisma. He is a talent, but he can not be seen like that forever".[120] In 2010, current national team manager Georges Leekens questioned Hazard's work-rate.[121] Lille youth academy director Jean-Michel Vandamme countered both managers criticism by arguing that Hazard simply possesses an intellectual honesty that is out of the ordinary and unexpected of today's footballer declaring "He is a real competitor, not a cheat, nor a moaner, because you don’t hear him complaining when he gets fouled".[69] Hazard's calm and cool demeanor on the field has been cited as one of his best attributes.[118] So far in his career as a professional, in which he has accumulated over 130 appearances, Hazard has collected only nine yellow cards.

Career statistics

Club

(Correct as of 21 May 2011)[122]

Club Season League Cup[nb 1] Europe[nb 2] Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Lille 2007–08 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0
2008–09 30 4 1 5 2 2 0 0 0 35 6 3
2009–10 37 5 8 3 1 0 12 4 1 52 10 9
2010–11 37 7 9 7 5 0 7 0 0 51 12 9
Total 108 16 18 15 8 2 19 4 1 142 28 21
Career total 108 16 18 15 8 2 19 4 1 142 28 21

International

(Correct as of 29 March 2011)[123]
National team Season Apps Goals Assists
Belgium 2008–09 4 0 1
2009–10 8 0 3
2010–11 7 0 3
Total 19 0 7

Honours

Club

Lille

Individual

Notes

References

  1. ^ "Eden Hazard LFP Profile" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 19 April 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Eden Hazard ESPN Profile". ESPN. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  3. ^ "St Etienne v Lille: Preview". ESPN. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  4. ^ Leach, Jimmy (30 November 2009). "Arsenal: potential transfer targets". The Independent. London. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  5. ^ a b Lyttleton, Ben (18 April 2011). "Ten top Ligue 1 talents who could be on the move this summer". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  6. ^ Benammar, Emily (1 April 2010). "Eden Hazard, the Lille winger dubbed 'the next Lionel Messi". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  7. ^ "Scout Report: Arsenal and Manchester United target Eden Hazard". Football Transfer Tavern. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  8. ^ "Could Lille's Eden Hazard go to Emirates? Liverpool eye Heskey". The First Post. 23 December 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  9. ^ "Arsenal target Eden Hazard dubbed as the next 'Messi'". Footie. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  10. ^ "Eden Hazard, un genio del desborde". Marca (in Spanish). 1 April 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  11. ^ "Eden Hazard prolonge son contrat au LOSC". Lille OSC (in French). Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  12. ^ a b c "Hazard named Young Player of Year". Ligue de Football Professionnel. 25 May 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  13. ^ a b "UNFP: Trophées UNFP du football Un petit coin de paradis..." National Union of Professional Footballers (in French). 22 May 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  14. ^ a b c "Avant d'être partagée entre Lille et Lens, la famille Hazard a cultivé son jardin secret" (in French). La Voix des Sports. 29 January 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
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