Eden Hazard used to train with his laces undone, and play Mario Kart five minutes before matches
Former Blues team mate reveals all about one of the best players he's ever played with
Imagine the scene, 5 minutes until kick off at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have a massive six-pointer against Manchester United to go 3 points clear at the top of the table, star man Eden Hazard is in the dressing room going through his last minute pre-match thoughts, stretching out his muscles and talking through the tactics one last time with Jose Mourinho. Right?
Well no, not really. At least according to his former Chelsea team mate Filipe Luis!
The former Brazilian international claims that Hazard would be sat playing on Mario Kart 5 minutes before a game, in perhaps the most bizarre pre-match ritual I’ve ever heard of.
But who would complain right? As long as he then gets out on the pitch, lights it up and gets Chelsea all three points which he so often did, that is all that matters.
And Hazard is a different breed, a different player, a world class player who could make a goal from absolutely nothing totally against the run of play.
And his personality is unique, he just loves life, loves to smile, loves to play, but doesn’t love to defend!
“We had great players. Eden Hazard, Fàbregas, Diego Costa,” Luis told The Guardian.
“Alongside Neymar, Eden’s the best I’ve played with. He’s up there with Messi, winning games alone.
“He didn’t run to defend much, didn’t train well, and five minutes before games he’d be playing Mario Kart in the dressing room.”
You just know that this is entirely true as well, and nobody, not even Mourinho, would have said anything or tried to change it. Because this was Eden Hazard, one of the best in the world, and if that’s what he needed to do to focus then so be it.
Luis also explains how Hazard would always train and do pre-match warm ups with his laces undone!
“He trained and warmed up laces untied,” Luis continued.
“But he’d go out and no one could take the ball. He’d dribble three or four. If opponents got too close, he’d just pull away, so powerful.”
Mr Hazard, never change lad, never change!