France facing Hazard-ous risk
Beguiling Belgian out to quash country where he began career
ST. PETERSBURG — Eden Hazard is one of the French academy system’s finest exports in the past decade, but he could be the man to end Didier Deschamps’ bid for World Cup glory.
Born to two soccer-playing parents in the Belgian municipality of Braine-le-Comte, Hazard’s reputation spread across the border and saw him snapped up by Lille at the age of just 14.
Two years later Hazard made his professional debut in Ligue 1 and went on to become the French top flight’s brightest talent, twice being named the league’s player of the year and leading Lille to a Ligue 1 and Cup double in 2010-11.
When a big-money move inevitably came, it was Chelsea that won the race in 2012 with a $43 million capture that now seems like a bargain.
In six seasons in England, Hazard has won two more league titles and plenty of admirers. But there’s still some doubt whether he has the desire to back up his immense talent and challenge Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the world’s best player.
So far in Russia, Hazard looks like a man on a mission to ensure Belgium’s so-called “golden generation” live up to their billing by bringing home the World Cup for the first time in the country’s history.
Handed the armband by Roberto Martinez despite defender Vincent Kompany’s return from injury, Hazard’s leadership qualities have impressed the Spanish coach.
“I think Eden is in a great moment of his career,” Martinez said before the tournament. “Look at his age, he is the captain, in terms of leadership — he never finds it difficult to show for the ball.”
Hazard’s ability to carry the ball under pressure, jinking past the desperate lunges of helpless defenders at will, was in evidence as Belgium beat Brazil in the quarterfinals.
With his side desperately clinging to a 2-1 lead, Hazard’s hold-up play, dribbling expertise and ability to draw fouls proved invaluable in the dying minutes against the five-time champion, offering the Belgian defense much-needed respite.
His leadership was also in evidence with a man-of-thematch performance, including a wonderful assist on Marouane Fellaini’s equalizer, as the Red Devils came from 0-2 down to beat Japan 3-2 in the last 16.
In outshining Brazil’s Neymar in the last eight, Hazard has added to his already sizable price tag.
At 27, he has not hidden his ambition to finally make an impact on the Champions League, which Chelsea missed out on after a fifth-place finish in the Premier League last term.
Long linked with a move to Real Madrid, a switch to Spain looks more realistic this summer than at any time of his Chelsea career, with Madrid president Florentino Perez often influenced by outstanding World Cup performances and Ronaldo looking set to exit for Juventus.
Even if a move to Madrid does materialize, Hazard will be denied a self-confessed dream of working under another French influence on his formation as a player: Zinedine Zidane.
As a child, Hazard studied videos of the man who led France to the World Cup in 1998 — and stepped down as Real boss in May.
Twenty years on, he’s just two games away from matching Zidane’s feat.
To do so, though, he must prevent France’s own talented crop of Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann from following in Zidane’s footsteps in St. Petersburg on Tuesday.