Every successful athlete, footballer or not, had a dream of bucking a failing trend back where it all began for him. If you asked the most accomplished footballers how they got to their final destinations, they will tell you they could not do it all alone. They needed someone to motivate them. Someone to push them all the way and someone to coach them.
The path to success is always strenuous but the one simple factor in the most complicated ways of execution makes it seem all simple. There are the areas where things can go very awry and the most unpleasant situations could be arrived at. Potential dies along the way, pure talents never get realized while most geniuses get buried with their brilliance six feet under.
But in the right hands, dreams are fulfilled and the very best in life blossoms to the surprise of many. ‘Where did he come from?’ is the question on many onlookers lips, but Eden Hazard does not fall within that bracket of surprise blossoms.
His path is clearly drawn out. From his promising days in Lille in the French Ligue 1 to Stamford Bridge, Hazard’s story nearly became a narrative of the forgotten – the boy who had the world at his feet but never really lived up to the promise. In an instant of making the decision about his oft-talked about future, Hazard found the right stone to step on in a career that could have gone wayward.
Last summer, Hazard had the option to push through a move to Real Madrid, who were in search of a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo. Hazard felt he needed the move too. He had been at Chelsea for six years and never really achieved the kind of personal levels that would place him at par with the very best in the world. He has always fallen below the required standards in the numbers in world football. His goals and assists have not been enough in the last half-decade. But all that changed for the better this season and that decision to remain at Stamford Bridge is fully responsible for that.
Like Michael Jordan had Phil Jackson or like Lionel Messi had Pep Guardiola, at the right time, every athlete needs the coach that believes in his abilities and can help unearth them to the fullest. Hazard has found his own career-changing coach, in Maurizio Sarri. The Italian tactician has allowed Hazard play football in the freest way.
Since arriving at Chelsea in 2012, only Roberto Di Matteo has allowed the Belgian wizard to nuzzle the ball the way he does this season. Under Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte or even Rafa Benitez, there were only flashes of Hazard’s brilliance seen. Other times, what is seen is a shimmer that nonetheless, drops into the shadows only to rise briefly again.
This season will be different though. Hazard will be a shining light and perhaps the reason for the sudden calls for him to be conferred the title of Premier League’s best. He has been the best player in the league, not just this season but his inconsistency has hurt his ambitions and now as Sarri keeps cooking up fine displays from his forward every week, Hazard’s fresh confidence in finding the back of the net or contributing to them makes him a deadly presence in the opposition box.
His seven goals in eight games make this a strong start to a season for the flying winger and could just well be mentioned in the bracket of the revered two – Ronaldo and Messi. Sarri has set an ambitious individual target of scoring 40 goals this season for the Belgian forward, and indeed the 27-year old had proven in the last few weeks, that the flashes, as we saw against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, was not a rare thing to celebrate this season. There are many more magical moments for the Chelsea fans to cherish and perhaps with Sarri still remaining his coach, Hazard may have made the best decision in the ‘process’ of becoming the best footballer on the planet, when he decided to remain a Chelsea player this summer.
