Eden Hazard was a Belgian attacker of rare balance and low-slung dribbling ability, capable of gliding past defenders as if the ball were tied to his boots. After announcing himself at Lille, he moved to Chelsea in 2012 and became the club’s creative heartbeat.
Across seven seasons in London he won Premier League titles and the Europa League, and was voted among the finest players in the division. His subsequent transfer to Real Madrid was blighted by persistent injury, an unfortunate coda to a career that, at its peak, offered as much joy as any of his contemporaries. He remained a totem of Belgium’s golden generation throughout.