Born 7 January 1991, Eden Michael Hazard is a professional Belgian footballer who plays for the Premier League team Chelsea FC, as well as internationally for the Belgium national team. Hazard's prime positions of the field are as an attacking midfielder and a wide midfielder. With a combination of his experience and talent, Hazard's excellent passing skills have been widely recognised and his style of play has lead to comparisons between him and other top tier players such as Messi and Ronaldo. Hazard is the son of two prior footballers, with his father having played on a semi-professional level as a defensive midfielder in the Belgian Second Division, and his mother playing as a striker in the Belgian Women's First Division before halting her career when she was three months pregnant with Eden.
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Hazard followed in the footsteps of his parents, starting his own football career in Belgium, playing for Royal Stade Brainois and Tubize, before moving to France in 2005 to join the first division club Lille. At 16 years of age, in November 2007, Hazard went on to make his professional debut for the club, and became an integral part of Lille with over 190 total appearances. In his first full season as a starter, Hazard became the first non-French player to win the Nation Union of Professional Footballers Young Player of the Year award, and managed to procure the award a second time in the 2009-10 season, making him the first player to win the award twice. Furthermore, Hazard was added to the league's Team of the Year.
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After an eight year long marathon at Lille, Hazard signed for English club Chelsea FC in June 2012, where he went on to win the UEFA Europa League in his first season and the PFA Young Player of the Year in his second. His success with Chelsea in the 2014-15 season by winning the League Cup and the Premier League, earnt him the FWA Footballer of the Year award, as well as the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.
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Internationally, Hazard has represented Belgium at an under-17 and under-19 level, making his senior international debut in November 2008 at age 17, in a friendly match against Luxembourg. He scored his first international goal against Kazakhstan in October 2011, approximately three years after his debut. In the following years, he has earned himself 76 caps, and helped the Belgium squad reach the quarterfinals in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2016. With Chelsea's success this Premier League season, it is prime time to see them play live with Hazard on the field. Book your Chelsea tickets today on Doctor Ticket!
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