Latest news with #EdenHazard
The Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘Cut that part' – Chelsea legend Eden Hazard reveals he was huge fan of Blues' rivals before becoming their tormentor
EDEN HAZARD may be a Chelsea legend and one of their greatest ever players, but he started life as a fan of one of their biggest rivals. The retired ace, 34, admitted in an interview that he grew up watching the Blues' London rivals Arsenal. 2 Hazard is remembered fondly by the Stamford Bridge faithful, not least for his efforts against Arsenal. The winger tormented the Gunners in his final ever game for Chelsea, scoring twice and setting up a third as Chelsea thrashed Arsenal 4-1 in the 2019 Europa League final. Some small part of Hazard may have been conflicted when turning the likes of Nacho Monreal and Laurent Koscielny inside out, given his history as an Arsenal fan at heart. In an interview with streamer Zack Nani, Hazard remembered growing up watching the Gunners as a huge fan of Thierry Henry. He said: "I knew Chelsea because of [Didier] Drogba and all that. You know, [Nicolas] Anelka and all, those are the people I liked. "But it wasn't the club of my dreams. I'm telling you now, people know it. "I was a Real [Madrid] fan and a Thierry Henry fan. So I originally liked Arsenal. I grew up with the Gunners." Quickly joking: "We'll cut that in the editing." 2 Hazard certainly didn't show his love for Arsenal during his playing days, regularly terrifying their defence. In fact, there is no team that the 126-time Belgium international has scored more goals against in his entire career. Chelsea fans LOVE Eden Hazard's reaction as Blues legend is pranked by barber with Tottenham shirt He netted a total of seven times when facing the North Londoners. Hazard retired in 2023 after an unsuccessful switch to his other boyhood dream club, Real Madrid. The winger landed a switch to the Bernabeu worth a whopping £130MILLION, but failed to impress in Spain. Across four seasons with Los Blancos, Hazard made just 76 appearances - scoring only seven goals and registering 12 assists.
Metro
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Estevao Willian explains why he picked Chelsea over Arsenal, Real Madrid & Barca
Estevao Willian has explained why he joined Chelsea and snubbed transfer moves to the likes of Arsenal, Real Madrid and Barcelona. The Blues announced in June 2024 that they'd signed the Brazil international teenager, who officially arrived at Chelsea this summer from Palmeiras. Estevao, who cost €34m (£29.2m) plus €23m (£19.8m) in add-ons, is considered to be one of the best young footballers in the world. The 18-year-old could've joined pretty much any club he wanted with Chelsea, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Barcelona all registering an interest. In a new interview on the Chelsea website, the winger has now lifted the lid on why he picked Stamford Bridge instead of the Emirates or Spain. In The Mixer: Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every week – click here and sign up before Friday to make sure you don't miss the first edition. 'Their plans, the structure and the club – everything,' Estevao said. 'But mainly the plans and the project the club has is what interested me and my family, and I think it was the best decision we could have made.' Estevao has also expressed his admiration for Chelsea legend Eden Hazard and hopes to follow in the footsteps of a number of Brazilian players who've featured for the Blues over the years – including Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Ramires, Oscar and Willian. 'Eden Hazard is the one that I watched the most at Chelsea,' Estevao added. 'He's ace. '[And] it's a pleasure to be here where so many Brazilians made history. 'I hope to follow those who wrote a beautiful story here at Chelsea just like they did. 'After I had signed for Chelsea and in the final game of 2024, I played against Thiago Silva. He came and talked to me. 'He said I was going to love the club, which has an incredible structure and is an incredible club. And now [I am here], I can see how amazing this club is. '[My long-term goals at Chelsea are] I want to win all the titles possible: the Premier League and the Champions League as well. More Trending 'And personally, to be the best in the world and keep working hard so that these dreams come true.' Chelsea's new signing Estevao has been labelled the best Brazilian-born player since Neymar by Brazil's World Cup winner Branco. Neymar himself has waxed lyrical about Estevao, predicting the teen – already capped five times by Brazil – will prove himself as a 'genius'. Brazil legend Ronaldo, meanwhile, believes that Estevao is 'kind of like' Barcelona and Spain star Lamine Yamal. MORE: RB Leipzig and Liverpool begin transfer talks over 'fearless' £50m English star MORE: Chelsea star 'set to join' Borussia Dortmund in £22m permanent transfer move MORE: Man Utd make Harry Maguire transfer decision after five offers for defender
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Former Chelsea wonderkid who was tipped to be 'next Eden Hazard' and fell out with Cesc Fabregas retires aged 28 with shock statement
A former Chelsea wonderkid who was seen as a potential successor to Eden Hazard has hung up his boots aged 28 after a career ravaged by injuries. The Belgian joined Chelsea's youth system in 2012 with his two older brothers after being linked with Barcelona and Real Madrid. Hazard was a mentor and a 'good friend' to the young winger growing up but he would only go on to make seven senior appearances for the Blues. Chelsea sent him out on loan to Real Betis, Celtic, and Vitesse before he eventually left for Spanish second-tier Levante in 2022 - and made a first outing in over 1,000 days there. The player in question is Charly Musonda, whose last game was in January last year for Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta. Despite being tipped for big things, he only managed 74 appearances and two goals across his career. Knee injuries and surgery him ruled out for a total of three years and stunted his growth, which had begun so promisingly as he represented Belgium at under-21s level. Sometimes his talent even got him on the wrong side of his own team-mates. In 2015, when he was 19, he got involved in an alleged training ground bust-up with none other than Cesc Fabregas. The Spain midfielder reacted angrily after Musonda flicked the ball over his head before nutmegging him in training. Fabregas then unleashed a heavy challenge on him which sparked a melee among the squad and forced heated words between the two. Announcing his retirement on Monday, Musonda told the Rising Ballers podcast: 'I've got a big announcement today. 'It's not easy but it's something I've been thinking about for a long time. After reflecting on my experiences and who I am, I've realised I want to live with purpose to inspire and motivate others.' He also said on his Chelsea exit: 'The exit killed me. It killed me mentally. It was the worst thing. 'I was obviously with the reserves at that time so the plan was to pick up with the reserves, get some training in and if there were a few games where I could fit in toward the back end of the season, that was the plan. 'Because I literally had just gotten better. I came back in December-January and was training with the reserves. 'Feeling amazing, happy to be back - obviously it was a long way for me to be fully fit, but just being able to train was amazing. 'The first team was doing really well. It was COVID, so the buildings were split and you wouldn't really see the first team. 'Then toward the back end of the season in the car park I ran into Thomas Tuchel, the manager. 'They were getting ready for the semi-final of the Champions League and he just said, 'How are you feeling? How are things going?. 'It was my first time meeting him. He said, 'I'm looking forward to seeing you back and I said, 'Don't worry, I'll be back for pre-season. 'Because in my mind, it was always pre-season and I'd be back with the first team and we'd see from there. Whistleblowers, brought to you by the Mail and Wickes TradePro, is football's most original new podcast, lifting the lid on the parts of the game no one else talks about 'So I came back for pre-season and that's where things got tricky. That was the end of my time at Chelsea.' He also wrote on Instagram: 'This is not goodbye, but a new beginning, one where hopefully I can help play a small part in making the world better for footballers.
The Sun
30-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Former Chelsea wonderkid dubbed ‘next Eden Hazard' retires aged 28 and admits Blues exit ‘killed me'
FORMER Chelsea wonderkid Charly Musonda, once tipped to follow in Eden Hazard's footsteps, has retired from football. Musonda announced his retirement from professional football at just 28 years old. 8 8 The Belgian forward revealed the heart-wrenching news, explaining that years of injuries had left him with no choice but to hang up his boots — despite still being young. In an emotional video posted on Rising Ballers, Musonda said: "I've got a big announcement today. "It's not easy but it's something I've been thinking about for a long time. After reflecting on my experiences and who I am, I've realised I want to live with purpose to inspire and motivate others." Musonda admitted that leaving Chelsea"killed" him, and his career has been overshadowed by a string of injuries and loan moves that never quite worked out. The emotional winger spoke about his Chelsea exit: "The exit killed me. It killed me mentally. It was the worst thing. "I was obviously with the reserves at that time so the plan was to pick up with the reserves, get some training in and if there were a few games where I could fit in toward the back end of the season, that was the plan. "Because I literally had just gotten better. I came back in December-January and was training with the reserves. "Feeling amazing, happy to be back—obviously it was a long way for me to be fully fit, but just being able to train was amazing. "The first team was doing really well. It was COVID, so the buildings were split and you wouldn't really see the first team. "Then toward the back end of the season in the car park I ran into Thomas Tuchel, the manager. "They were getting ready for the semi-final of the Champions League and he just said, 'How are you feeling? How are things going?. "It was my first time meeting him. He said, 'I'm looking forward to seeing you back and I said, 'Don't worry, I'll be back for pre-season. "Because in my mind, it was always pre-season and I'd be back with the first team and we'd see from there. "So I came back for pre-season and that's where things got tricky. That was the end of my time at Chelsea." 8 8 8 Despite the pain, Musonda isn't bitter, instead, he's channelling his experiences into helping the next generation. He added about his future plans: "I want to do things with purpose. I want to inspire people and create opportunities. "I'm still young but I want to help players who don't have the chance to showcase their talent. "I know how it feels and with football changing so much, many players never get the opportunity to show what they can do, I want to make a difference." Once hailed as one of the brightest prospects in European football, Musonda's potential was often compared to that of Hazard's during his early days at Stamford Bridge. 8 8 However, a series of setbacks-including loan spells at Real Betis and Vitesse Arnhem, meant his career never reached the heights everyone expected. Despite flashes of brilliance during his time away from Chelsea, Musonda made only a handful of appearances for the Blues and his once-promising future faded into disappointment. It's the end of a career that promised so much but ultimately never delivered. However, Musonda's drive to give back could help the next generation avoid the pitfalls that derailed his own career.
The Sun
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Cole Palmer reveals bizarre reason he wore mask on Chelsea's Club World Cup plane and says even Maresca didn't know why
COLE PALMER wants to follow in the footsteps of football's icons by taking on the challenge as Chelsea's No. 10. Yet he is fast becoming one himself as his career shoots for the stars. Palmer has been handed the coveted shirt number from team-mate Mykhailo Mudryk, 24, who is facing doping charges and a potential four-year ban. 3 3 Images of Chelsea's most gifted player are plastered across every advertising banner, hoarding and online publicity shot as Fifa cash in on his growing fame at the Club World Cup. While Palmer talks of his admiration for Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney and former Blues No .10 Eden Hazard, it is slowly dawning on him that he is being swiftly elevated in status too. The forward, 23, said: 'I wore No .10 growing up. 'Messi is the big one, Rooney and players like that. It's an iconic number.' Hazard wowed Blues fans from 2012 to 2019 and Palmer added: 'I've seen him a few times at the training ground. He asked me for one of my shirts for his sons. To see him was nice, we had a conversation.' Fame does not come easy for this understated lad from Manchester. Palmer football. 'Back home I get recognised. At the start, it was a bit 'wow', but now I get used to it. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 'It's just a game of football at the end of the day, like it's not life or death. 'So I just try and enjoy it. I like to go and play five-a-side and go to the astro. I like PlayStation. I just do things a normal kid would do.' Former Chelsea and Real Madrid star Geremi handed five-year ban from football activity after row with Samuel Eto'o Three Flamengo players to watch Flamengo boost some recognisable players in their sqiuad... JORGINHO - FAMILIAR Face for Chelsea fans, well those in the UK anyway. Might not be so over here in the US. But a Champions League winner with The Blues in 2021. He was an acquired taste for the supporters, they saw him as a symbol of the derided 'Sarri-ball' of former boss Maurizio Sarri, who won them the Europa League and finished third in the Premier League. DANILO - DEFENDER Who will also be recognisable to English soccer fans. A defender with Manchester City for two seasons. Was not a mainstay of the team but still collected two Premier League titles - successive ones between 2017 & 2019. FILIPE LUIS - A LEFT BACK Who also played for Chelsea. Bought from Atletico Madrid by legendary Blues boss Jose Mourinho. He was drafted to fill the boots of iconic left back Ashley Cole but it never quite worked out. He stayed only one season and made barely a dozen appearances. 3 Palmer can wave goodbye to normal as the face of the new Blues. His off-the-cuff style and habit of turning games on their heads in split seconds make him a huge draw. After training this week, he was mobbed by dozens of schoolchildren. American kids who have grown to love him from 4,000 miles away. Chelsea play Flamengo on Friday evening and Palmer has a special reason to play even better against the Rio giants. He said: 'Well, my uncle lives in Brazil and messaged me to say they're one of their biggest clubs and that's all they are talking about, so I expect it will be a good game. He messaged me to say please score. 'Playing a game every three days in this heat is difficult but it's bringing us closer together as a team.' One image of Palmer that sent shockwaves through Fifa saw him getting off the plane wearing a face mask. Boss Enzo Maresca wrote the whole thing off as a practical joke. But Palmer explained: 'It wasn't a joke I just don't like the smell of planes. That's why I wear a mask. 'Nothing else. Enzo doesn't know, I didn't tell him, but he didn't ask me to be fair.' Mudryk will be issued with a new squad number once his issues over a positive test for banned substance meldonium is resolved. Palmer said: 'I have not spoken to Misha yet but I will when the time is right.'
