“I signed for the winners of the champions league.” That’s what Eden Hazard tweeted on May 28, 2012, just 9 days after Chelsea FC won the Champions League title, beating Bayern Munich in their own backyard.
The rest, as many people already know, is just history.
The young Belgian wizard was brought in from Lille for a fee worth up to £32 million.
Through his amazing, brush-like feet and invaluable impact on numerous occasions during his 7 year spell at Stamford Bridge, he helped the club win 2 Premier League titles, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup and 2 Europa Leagues. Hazard also scored 110 goals in 352 appearances.
In honor of his 34th birthday, celebrated on January 7, let’s turn back time and dive into a sea of nostalgia to create a subjective ranking of his 5 best goals for Chelsea, based on their aesthetic and importance.
5 – Lightning against Sparta Prague
After a fluctuating first half of the season, which involved replacing fan favorite Roberto Di Matteo with the hugely unpopular Rafael Benítez, Chelsea will face Sparta Prague in the first knockout round of their Europa League campaign, having got there by late finish. third in their Champions League group.
After picking up a positive but far from comfortable 0-1 away win in the Czech capital, the Blues were shocked by the visitors in the second leg in the 17th minute. And as if there were bets that extra time would be needed to determine the winner of the match, Hazard worked his magic in incredible fashion.
Came off the bench for Oscar, and with just over a minute remaining, he unleashed a rocket from a relatively tight angle, which ended up just under Tomas Vaclik’s crossbar. The relief was palpable, and Chelsea got through.
4 – Eight in a row at the Etihad
Certainly not the most aesthetic goal, but very important for a number of reasons.
The first meeting between Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte was eventful and fiery. The Cityzens were rewarded for their tenacity on the ball throughout most of the first half, when experienced centre-back Gary Cahill bizarrely turned Jesus Navas’ cross into his own net just before the break.
Chelsea FC did not give up. After the home side’s comeback in the first ten minutes post-restart, a Pedro-out-Willian-in substitution paid dividends for Antonio Conte and his squad, with Diego Costa and the right winger turning the game Chelsea’s way. heads in sequence.
In the final minutes of normal time, Eden received a long ball from Marcos Alonso, used his pace perfectly to beat Aleksandar Kolarov, and showed exemplary composure to score his side’s third goal, past a desperate Claudio Bravo.
Chelsea managed to achieve a victory that was as valuable as gold, from all perspectives. 8 wins in a row, in absolute title contention.
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3 – Hot knife through butter aka Eden versus West Ham United
One of the most difficult and astonishing executions a footballer can realize, both in principle and practically, Hazard’s brushes know no limits to the artistic product they can produce.
In April 2019, Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea played Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham United at Stamford Bridge. 3 points will be crucial in their quest to reach the Top 4, and Hazard did his job by scoring two goals that would win the Blues’ game against their London rivals.
But the first of the two goals was truly extraordinary. After receiving a short, straightforward pass in the middle of the pitch from Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the Belgian weaved past a number of opponents at lightning speed before firing the ball past Lukasz Fabianski, who could do nothing to stop a unique performance from a pure individual. brilliance.
2 – The magic of the cup? It’s kind of magical IN a cup.
Remaining in the 2018-2019 season, but back to about 6 months earlier than the West Ham match.
Even though it is the 3rd round of the Carabao Cup, Liverpool and Chelsea are facing each other. The Blues ultimately won the match with a score of 1-2, but there was one man who was the center of attention that night.
When his team needed an equaliser, trailing 1-0 to Daniel Sturridge’s goal in front of the Kop, Hazard got past Alberto Moreno, the former Liverpool left-back, from a wide position and fired an unstoppable shot past Simon. Mignolet.
The goal was so brilliant that it received great praise from both parties. Gianfranco Zola, Chelsea’s assistant head coach at the time, called Eden “an extraordinary player.”
Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender, did not hesitate to call him “the best player in the Premier League,” as the Belgian began celebrating his brilliant work of art.
1 – Another significant step towards the championship title
February 4, 2017. It seemed like Chelsea and Arsenal’s season fortunes had almost reversed since they faced each other in their previous match at the Emirates.
A 3-0 first-half defeat in September had given Antonio Conte the incentive to switch to 3 at the back for the second 45 minutes of the game onwards. This works as smoothly as it gets.
So, when their arch rivals faced off again a few months later, the West Londoners had made little progress in their title race, while Arsenal were in the doldrums. To add to their misery, Arsene Wenger will be in the stands at Stamford Bridge that day, due to suspension.
In the 53rd minute of the match, Hazard scored a stunning solo goal. It has it all, without the slightest exaggeration. The move started from inside his own half, and after initially dribbling Laurent Koscielny, he physically overpowered Francis Coquelin, who was desperately trying to stop him from advancing.
Through his incredible guile and composure, he managed to push the opponent’s rearguard further back before cleverly slotting past his former teammate, Petr Čech.
A package of skills, strength, intelligence and efficiency, all in one goal. As a result, Chelsea doubled their lead, before Cesc Fabregas and Olivier Giroud each added one goal for their respective teams, bringing the final score to 3-1.
Conclusion
It’s been 6 years since Hazard moved from West London to Madrid, a famous move remembered more for the length of time he was away from the pitch than his contribution to the game.
However, at Chelsea, he has the same legacy, the same popularity status, even stronger than before.
Fans around the world have fond memories of his time representing his club, feeling incredibly fortunate to have had the privilege of enjoying a heady mix of glamor and effectiveness for 7 consecutive years and several trophies won during that time. .
Gaming Hub
A gaming hub can refer to a central platform or space dedicated to gaming, where players can access games, interact with other gamers, and enjoy related content. Here are a few different kinds of gaming hubs you might be referring to:
Physical Gaming Hubs:
Gaming Cafés: Physical locations where players can rent time on high-end gaming PCs or consoles to play popular multiplayer or single-player games.
Esports Arenas: Specialized venues for competitive gaming tournaments where players or teams face off in games like League of Legends, CS
, or Fortnite.
Digital Gaming Hubs:
Steam, Epic Games Store, or GOG: Digital storefronts where you can purchase and play games, join online communities, and access updates and patches.
Game Launchers: Platforms like Steam, Blizzard’s Battle.net, and Xbox Game Pass often act as hubs where gamers can access multiple titles and keep track of their library.
Cloud Gaming Platforms: Services like NVIDIA GeForce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming that allow players to stream games on various devices without needing high-end hardware.
Social/Community Gaming Hubs:
Discord Servers: Dedicated communities for games where players can chat, share tips, and find others to play with.
Reddit Communities: Subreddits dedicated to specific games or gaming news.
Gaming Consoles as Hubs:
Systems like the PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch act as central hubs for playing games, interacting with friends, and even streaming content like Netflix or Twitch.
If you meant something specific by “gaming hub,” let me know and I can elaborate further!
