When Hazard dropped most obscene skill of all time – with an American football

Eden Hazard retires with a legacy as not only one of football’s great wingers, but also one of, if not the most aesthetically pleasing players to ever take to the pitch.

The Belgian dazzled audiences with his nauseating feints, turns and twists during his best years, infuriating Premier League defenders while simultaneously schmoozing crowds one weekend at a time with his rather obscene skill level.

With some, you can simply tell they were born with the attributes they possess. Johan Cruyff and the Cruyff turn. Cristiano Ronaldo and the chop. Mesut Ozil and the bounce.

But with Hazard, it felt like he had an entire arsenal of those sorts of signature moves. Watching him felt like we were watching someone who was quite literally kicking around a football from the minute he could walk, with how freakishly comfortable he was with the ball at his feet.

Mercurial is an understatement when talking about the Belgian. At his best, he was breathtaking. At his worst, an absolute nightmare to watch if he’s on your team. His 356-day goal drought, early peak and demise after a record move to Real Madrid are all testament to that.

When you can manipulate a ball like the Belgian does, though, absolutely none of that stuff matters. None of it.

Peaks and troughs can do one. Form can sod off out the window and never come back. We’re looking at a bloke who could probably juggle the moon given a chance to do so and fire it top bins afterwards.

Hazard was a pure technician and an artist in possession. He might have called time on his career, but we’ll never ever tire of watching back clips of him dancing his way around the pitch, shrugging off opposition players and threading the ball around like he has magnets in his boots.

The juggling the moon