“Few players have possessed the innate footballing ability of Eden Hazard,” says his former club Chelsea as the Belgian is inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. “He was a genius on the pitch; a true joy to watch. And our brilliant Belgian has rightfully become the latest inductee into the Premier League Hall of Fame.”
Hazard joins five other Chelsea stars, Petr Cech, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, and Didier Drogba, and has also received an engraved medallion marking his induction, along with a £10,000 donation from the Premier League to a charity of his choice.
“I grew up playing football for fun, with my brothers in the back garden, but my dream was always to play at the highest level,” Hazard said. “It means a lot to join the Premier League Hall of Fame. I’m very proud to join this group of players and I think we could make a good squad! I just wanted to have fun on the pitch and entertain the fans who bought tickets or watched on TV. Being recognised in this way is special for me and my family. My parents were both footballers and now my children love the game too.”
First created in 2020, with the first players inducted a year later, the Hall of Fame honours “individuals who have enjoyed exceptional success and made significant contributions to the Premier League since its inception in 1992,” according to Chelsea.
Hazard joined Chelsea in 2012 from French club Lille, having been sought by a number of the top clubs in Europe. He had already been Ligue 1 Player of the Year twice and had high expectations for him at Stamford Bridge. “He delivered, and then some,” the Blues said.
He would score nine times in his first Premier League campaign and made it to the Team of the Year. The first silverware with the London club was the Europa League.
Mourinho’s return to the club in 2013 “pushed Eden to new heights,” with fourteen Premier League goals and being named Premier League Young Player of the Season and, for the first time, Chelsea Player of the Season. He would spearhead the club’s “charge to the Premier League title” in 2014/15, and “swept up several end-of-season awards, being named Premier League Player of the Season, Chelsea Player of the Year, PFA Players’ Player of the Year, and FWA Footballer of the Year.”
Image: Aleksandr Osipov
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