A decade ago Manchester United saw Cristiano Ronaldo leave for Real Madrid, completing his dream move. Now, Chelsea find themselves in the same scenario.
Eden Hazard is achieving his dream of playing for Real Madrid. The move is almost completed, with the transfer fee likely around £130 million. In Eden Hazard, Chelsea would will lose what Manchester United and the Premier League lost in 2009: their superstar and their most entertaining player. Real Madrid are signing one as the replacement for the other.
Before anyone loses their mind, this is in no way stating that Hazard is the same as Ronaldo. But within the confines of their club, they hold a similar place to similar effect. In 2009 United lost their best player and now Chelsea are losing their best. What Ronaldo brought to Old Trafford, Hazard brought to Stamford Bridge.
In 292 appearances For Manchester United, Ronaldo scored 118 goals and had 68 assists. Hazard, in 352 appearances for the Blues, has 110 goals and 81 assists.
Like the Portuguese, Hazard plays on the left wing and, as the game goes by, drops into different positions on the pitch to scores goals and create goals for teammates.
For years the Premier League saw Ronaldo run at defenses with his lightning pace and five-star skills. Chelsea’s mercurial winger has done the same for seven seasons with his sublime dribbling. Both wingers left defenders chasing their trails and fans’ jaws on the ground.
No one has been able to replicate it and strike the same fear into defenders.
Stunning goals were in abundance from both, the Red Devils’ No. 7 and Blues’ No. 10. Ronaldo was a master at free kicks at Manchester, with probably the best free kick routine in Europe during those years. Hazard made his greatest highlights his dazzling dribbling around defenders time and time again, finishing most seasons high on the chart of completed take-ons.
The Belgian has attempted 1,441 and complete 910 dribbles, more than any other Premier League player since the start of the 2012/13 season.
As a player who enjoys a free role and likes to explore all areas of the pitch, Hazard has been excellent at creating chances for his side. Since moving to the Premier League, Hazard has created 594 chances, more than anyone else. David Silva is second with 566.
It’s almost been 10 years since Ronaldo left. Manchester United have struggled to find someone to even come near the standards he set at Old Trafford for the No. 7 Jersey. Yes, United have won several trophies since, but that was because they had a squad loaded with great players and were under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes were just a few of the lethal squad that was in Manchester in 2009/10. Losing Ronaldo dented United a bit, but there was enough quality and depth in the squad to still win trophies and sustain their levels as everyone pitched in and shared responsibilities, guided by the Premier League’s great manager.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have not been able to find a proper striker. Wingers Pedro and Willian are aging. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic are too young and inexperienced to take on Hazard’s mantle. The defense this season wasn’t in the best shape as Marcos Alonso, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta were well below their standards and sloppy. Chelsea is far from the Manchester United squad of 2009.
Hazard’s impact on Chelsea over the years has been evident. He has played a vital role in every season, under different managers and tactics. He saved his best for the last as he had his best season in a Chelsea jersey with 21 goals and 17 goals across all competitions. Hazard was involved in 49.2% of all Chelsea’s goals in the Premier League this season and, with 15 league assist, claimed the 2018/19 Premier League Playmaker of the Season Award.
Hazard topped other charts as well: He won the most fouls (104), collected most Man of the Match awards (14), contributed to the most goals (31) and completed the most dribbles (138).
Once Hazard leaves, Callum-Hudson Odoi and Christian Pulisic will need several years to completely fill Hazard’s shoes. Chelsea do not have the in-place solutions to cover for the loss of their superstar like Manchester United did.
Hazard’s departure has a lot of parallels to Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Manchester United, but the impact will be much greater at Chelsea.