Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard’s form at Chelsea over the last year has been poor at best. Hazard went 2,358 minutes scoreless across 30 matches until he netted a penalty against M.K. Dons on January 31, 2016. His performance this past season at Chelsea has been marred by injury and inconsistent play. Although he has picked up his play of recent, he still has been a shadow of his former self. Regardless, Eden Hazard will still be one of the most talented players at UEFA 2016. Hazard is a speedy winger with first rate skills. However, his work-rate and attitude have been questioned by his club and national team skippers. Through his brief tenure with the Belgium senior national team, Hazard has played well. In the 2014 World Cup, Hazard had 2 assists for the Red Devils. He also scored 3 goals for Belgium in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying. Nevertheless, one has to wonder what Hazard’s mindset will be going into the tournament. Scoring only 2 goals in the Premier League this season, Hazard’s poor play has rumors surfacing about a possible exit from Chelsea. Zinedine Zidane has been vocal about his praise for the young Belgian star saying he “would take him to Real Madrid with [his] eyes closed.” Maybe Hazard will find his touch at the European Championship or maybe like Ángel Di María he will need a change of scenery to do so. Make sure to watch out for Eden Hazard this summer.

Other Players:

Starters:

Forwards: Zlatan Ibrahimović

Midfielders: Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modrić, Dimitri Payet, Robbie Keane, Arda Turan

Defenders: Jordi Alba, Vlad Chiricheș, Ashley Williams, Taulant Xhaka

Goalkeeper: The Gianluigi Buffon

Substitutes:

Forwards: Jakub Błaszczykowski

Midfielders: Mesut Özil, Yevhen Konoplyanka, Gökhan Inler, James Milner, Balázs Dzsudzsák

Sources:

http://www.espnfc.us/player/101390/eden-hazard

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/eden-hazard-aiming-star-euro-7844256

 

Written By: Austin Tran and Chris Arora

How to cite this article: “Euro 2016 Key Players to Watch” Written by Austin Tran and Chris Arora (2016), European Cup 2016 Guide, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/european-cup-2016-guide/ (accessed on (date)).