In a familiar story that has played out time and time again this season, Eden Hazard rescued Chelsea FC against Manchester United last weekend. The Red Devils came to Stamford Bridge hoping to challenge Chelsea and make a possible late push for the Premier League title. What happened instead was a tactical masterclass by Jose Mourinho and his players, along with the heroics of Oscar and Eden Hazard which saw the Blues come away with all three points.
Mourinho lauded the contributions of his young Belgian superstar and had nothing but good things to say about him after the match. As quoted in The Guardian, Mourinho said “He is the humble star. Physically, mentally, he’s becoming very, very strong and he better understands his role.”
“The day before the United game I told him: ‘This game we will never lose. Never.’ But we needed to win. He understands clearly that, especially in a moment where the team doesn’t have all its power, when the game becomes strategic, his talent is fundamental for the team. He copes better with the responsibility,” continued Mourinho.
By Ben Sutherland [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsEden Hazard has indeed accepted his role as Chelsea’s best player and also its most important. United came to the Bridge at less than full strength but Chelsea was also not at 100%. The Blues were forced to deploy Didier Drogba for the second match in a row because of injuries to Diego Costa and Loic Remy. In this moment the Blues needed another hero to step up and once again it was Hazard.
As Mourinho pointed out he is indeed the humble star. Other players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi, the two players he is most often compared to, usually face criticisms about their egos. Ronaldo is the more pronounced of the two with his endorsement deals and selfish attitude, but Messi has his own issues usually linked to seeking a new contract almost every season. Eden Hazard speaks little about himself and is usually the first to compliment his manager and point out his own shortcomings.
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This humility is what sets him apart from the rest of the superstars in world football and if he maintains it then it will keep him motivated for the remainder of his career. Chelsea is blessed to have such a talent in its ranks and hazard is equally blessed to play for such a club.
Jose Mourinho has worked with his fair share of talented wingers in the past. Arjen Robben began his stardom with Chelsea and he most recently spent several seasons working with Ronaldo. When all is said and done, Eden Hazard has the chance to match both players accomplishments and perhaps even surpass them one day.
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