The Real Madrid superstar is one of the best players in the world and his talent is clear for all to see. But, these five facts about the Belgian aren’t as well-known.
He was scoring goals before he was even born
Eden Hazard comes from a footballing family, with his younger brothers Thorgan, Kylian and Ethan all playing currently and with his father Thierry and mother Carine both playing football too when they were younger. Carine played in the Belgian women’s first division and stopped when she was three months pregnant with Eden, meaning that he was sort of a part of some of his mother’s final goals before he was born.
Zidane was his idol as he grew up
Zinedine Zidane is now Hazard’s boss and this must feel surreal every day the Belgian goes to work. As a kid, he grew up admiring Zizou and even possessed a France national team shirt with Zidane’s name and number on the back. Zidane has long been fond of Hazard too, expressing his love of the playmaker’s game long before he was signed by Real Madrid.
He is the youngest Ligue 1 Player of the Year
The Ligue 1 Player of the Year prize is given out at the end of every season to the star of France’s top league and Eden Hazard won this award twice during his time with Lille, claiming it in back-to-back years for his displays in the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons. He was just 20 years of age when he won the first one, making him the youngest ever player to claim this award.
He is a New York Knicks fan
As well as his love for football, Hazard is also a big basketball fan. He enjoys the NBA and attends matches in North America when he can. The Belgian even has a team that he supports, having declared himself a New York Knicks fan.
San Diego 1904 FC is partly owned by Hazard
Hazard still has many years of playing at the top level ahead of him, but he has already stepped into the world of football club ownership, doing so with NISA side San Diego 1904 FC. He co-founded it in 2016 along with Demba Ba and other business partners.
