Hazard began his journey in professional football with French club Lille before transferring to Chelsea in 2012 for a reported fee of £32 million.
The investment paid off for Chelsea, as Hazard scored 110 goals in 352 appearances and became one of the Premier League’s top players. ..Continue Reading
During his time at Stamford Bridge, Hazard helped Chelsea secure multiple trophies, including two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup, and two Europa League titles.
In 2019, Hazard transferred to Real Madrid, with Chelsea receiving an initial €100 million fee. However, Hazard’s time in Spain was marred by injuries and struggles with fitness, which affected his form.
He managed just seven goals in 76 appearances for Real Madrid over four seasons.
With a year remaining on his contract, Hazard and Real Madrid mutually agreed to part ways in 2023. A few months later, at age 32, Hazard announced his retirement from professional football.
On the international stage, Hazard earned 126 caps and scored 33 goals for Belgium, playing alongside other stars like Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Vincent Kompany, and Thibaut Courtois in Belgium’s “Golden Generation.”
Despite playing with so many skilled players for both club and country, Hazard gave a surprising answer when asked to name the most talented player he’d ever played with: Gael Kakuta.
Kakuta joined Chelsea from Lens in 2007 but made only a few appearances before moving on in 2015. Now 33, Kakuta currently plays for Esteghlal in Iran and represents DR Congo internationally.
Speaking on the Obi One podcast, Hazard shared why he considers Kakuta to be the most talented player he’s played with and explained why Kakuta’s potential wasn’t fully realized at Chelsea.
He said: “Most talented player I’ve played alongside? Gael Kakuta. The only one I was saying ‘wow’ was Gael Kakuta.”
“‘You asked me talent. Kakuta, by, far number one. Talent. I mean, talent. Wow.
“You know I played against him a lot because I used to play at Lille, he was playing in Lens. In the north of France that’s a derby.
“Me being me, we used to win every game, 5-0, 6-0, me being best player ever time. Then we play against him – we’re losing the game! He’s the best player? What?! That’s not normal.
“Now it’s easy to say but I think he went a bit too early to Chelsea. I think he was 16. That step at 16 is a huge step.”
