Eden Hazard has confessed that when he was considering his options in 2012, Chelsea seemed like a distant choice before they won the Champions League.
At Lille, Hazard was a standout player, winning their Player of the Year award two seasons in a row before deciding to leave in the summer of 2012.
Despite Chelsea finishing sixth in the league that season, they went on to win the FA Cup and their first-ever Champions League title. Didier Drogba played a crucial role in their Champions League victory, scoring a late equalizer and the deciding penalty against Bayern Munich in the final. Chelsea fans can thank Drogba for convincing Hazard to sign with the club.
In a recent interview, Hazard admitted that he had already been in contact with other Premier League teams about a potential move.
The Belgian told former Blue John-Obi Mikel on his The Obi One Podcast: “I had a chat with Sir Alex Ferguson. I spoke with Harry Redknapp, that time he was the manager [of] Tottenham. I went to Manchester to see the Man City training ground. So I had a few options, but not Chelsea. Because the last year [at] Lille, Chelsea were not good in the league. I knew I was leaving France to go to the Premier League, but not Chelsea because I wanted to play Champions League. That move came because you [Chelsea] won the Champions League.”
When Mikel pressed Hazard on whether the deal would have happened without the Blues’ continental win, he said bluntly: “My friend, Chelsea was far away [laughs]! That’s why I say, thank you to Drogba!”
Hazard was signed for £32 million ($40.3m) in 2012 and became a beloved player at Stamford Bridge. He played a key role in winning two Premier League titles, two Europa League trophies, an FA Cup, and a League Cup with the Blues. Despite his impressive record of 202 goal contributions in 352 matches, injuries plagued his time at the club and ultimately led to a disappointing end to his career at Real Madrid in 2019.
Even though he didn’t perform well in Madrid, Hazard boldly stated in a recent interview that he believed he was superior to Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of pure football skills. He acknowledged that only Lionel Messi, and maybe Neymar, were considered better than him.
After retiring from international football in December 2022, the 33-year-old decided to retire from the sport altogether in October 2023. Hazard has been open and honest in interviews since leaving the game, hinting that he may make a comeback in some form in the near future.
