Following an announced appearance for the Belgian wizard, Eden Hazard, there are new return rumors from Chelsea.
Let’s begin with a brief disclaimer because it is necessary.
Under no circumstances should Eden Hazard be allowed to play again for Chelsea.
Simply because of who Hazard is and what he stands for, it needs to be said more about him than about anyone else.
Few players in football can evoke the emotions that he can in a large group of fans.
All things considered, he is a special case whose circumstances make it logical to rule out a homecoming.
Putting emotion aside—which is nearly impossible with Hazard—this is a 32-year-old crocked winger with seven goals in four years.
This Hazard, who is currently without a club after terminating his five-year contract with Real Madrid 12 months early, is in no way comparable to the Hazard who struggled at Stamford Bridge in 2015–16.
The confidence, form, and spark that launched the Belgian’s career have all left him.
The man who was left behind at Santiago Bernabeu has been left to rot, and he is not one who is prepared to compete or provide anything of value to a team that is trying to make a comeback.
All of this is assuming that Hazard has no real room at Chelsea. There is no advantage unless they decide to employ him for free in a non-playing capacity as a motivator and cheery, happy-go-lucky bobblehead.
The player with the least skill, speed, or fitness is Hazard. He isn’t the best, and there is no proof that he can make a real difference.
There isn’t much to be gained when you consider the mountain of injuries already present and the fact that he hasn’t had a preseason.
However, he didn’t let that stop him when he was previously at the club.
With a group that is all fully fit, Chelsea has two players at each position along the front line.
This version of Hazard cannot play as a backup to Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja up front, will not challenge Raheem Sterling and Noni Madueke on the right, will not push Mykhailo Mudryk or Christopher Nkunku from the left, and is not Cole Palmer or Carney Chukwuemeka in the center.
There have been offers for Hazard to play elsewhere this season, but none have progressed.
Besides, if he joined, who would actually want him to play any minutes ahead of a young group of players who need time on the field together? Still, it seems as though retirement is inevitable.
This isn’t a player who can improve Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, and, as Didier Drogba and others have pointed out over the past 12 months, where is the assurance that Hazard enjoys the Chelsea he returns to?
It’s hardly any closer to the one he left in 2019 while subject to a transfer ban, or the ones he succeeded in and frequently had to be dragged along kicking and screaming.
This is not meant to minimize the player or the glowing shadow he cast.
One can count on one hand the number of Chelsea players who have ever performed to the level that Hazard did in 2018 as a true triad-creating leg on the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly.
Hazard is in the pantheon of Chelsea’s greatest players ever.
In a world of high-performance gurus, Hazard is a remarkable football success story who casually exemplifies talent and brilliance.
With a smile and the trademark blue-eyed Fremen wink that can only come from Hazard, his body of work is shaped and expressed in stark contrast to the modern game.
He is unlike anyone else because of his contagious laughter and joy. For Pochettino, there is a world in which Hazard occasionally steps in to lend a hand, imparting knowledge and vibes. In any short-term plans, however, there is no way to logistically or financially include him.
It would be an exceptional and unmatched level of excitement and nostalgia to witness Hazard at his peak under the Argentine head coach, but for the time being, it’s best to focus on the charity game that will mark his return to football and set aside the intoxicating, only-for-Hazard level of drug-fueled wonder that comes with it.
