Eden Hazard is the ultimate wingman. He used the Carabao Cup tie against Nottingham to set his fellow Belgians up for glory, showing one more reason he is better suited for Chelsea than Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain.
Eden Hazard spent 90 minutes on Tuesday night helping Charly Musonda and Michy Batshuayi compile a highlight reel. In large part because of Hazard’s efforts, Batshuayi scored a hat trick and Musonda scored on his full debut. Hazard did not appear on the scoresheet with anything other than an assist, but he created moments for his teammates and countrymen that no one in Blue will forget.
Meanwhile, Neymar and Edinson Cavani are on day three of their slap-fight over who will take penalty kicks at Paris Saint-Germain. The latest rumours have Neymar – after two months of loyal service to the club – demanding the sale of a man who has scored 139 goals for Les Parisiens.
In Spain, Real Madrid are sitting in eighth place after a 1-0 loss to Real Betis. Lionel Messi has scored more goals than all the galacticos combined. For that matter, so has Edinson Cavani. Real’s castoff Alvaro Morata has three goals, the same amount as Cristiano Ronaldo and Casemiro and one more than Gareth Bale.
Transfer rumours linking Eden Hazard to Real Madrid are a summer ritual. If Hazard wants the Ballon d’Or, the story goes, he has to leave Chelsea. Only a true mega-club, one that is a regular in the Champions League final, can take him to his maximum level.
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And now that PSG are trying to match Real’s spending and galactico strategy, Hazard’s name tumbles around their rumour mill as well. “If Hazard wants his Ballon d’Or before Neymar starts his run with it,”… fill in the blanks.
Real’s pressurized focus on individual performers has always been at odds with Eden Hazard’s play and personality. Hazard works best when he is surrounded by players who complement his ability, rather than directly match and mirror it. More importantly, he is at his best when he has the tactical and psychological freedom to explore the limits of his creativity. He needs the comfort of knowing that the fans and the club will reward a good move, a good show, a moment of magic – even one that does not end in a goal.
Hazard would not find that environment at Real. If the ball is not in the net, then whatever came before was not worth it. Chelsea fans will always rise out of their seats when Hazard gets on the ball. They will always applaud when he does what he does. They just applaud louder when it pays off. But they will not jeer him for his efforts.
Paris Saint-Germain are learning a harsh lesson about stacking a team full of galacticos. Egos, transfer fees and entitlement are sparking tensions, and it is only mid-September.
Eden Hazard does not get into turf battles. He is not interested in pecking orders, squabbles or cliques. There has hardly ever been a rumour – let alone a substantiated report – of Hazard sparring with a teammate (or an opponent, for that matter). In every video Chelsea or the players post to social media, Hazard seems to have the ability to whisper a few words and leave the room in fits of laughter.
That environment would be poisonous to Eden Hazard. He has no interest in that sort of behaviour, and it would exact a toll on his performance. If that happened to him at Real Madrid instead of PSG, the fans would sour on him and he would be in a downward spiral.
Eden Hazard knows how to score. He can do so almost at will. But he also knows when it is not about him, and that his talents can boost his teammates’ stats sheet and moods as well as his own. That is a rare quality in any player, let alone one with the abundance of talent he has. Hazard has enough football ability to go around, and he is the rare player that shares it.
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One of the most important moments of last season was when Eden Hazard told Sky Sports that he could win the Ballon d’Or with Chelsea. That was a recognition not just of the club’s potential and prestige, but of his place in it. Hazard can accomplish more for himself and his club at Chelsea than he could at Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain. Charly Musonda and Michy Batshuayi surely agree.