Eden Hazard has made it clear that his leadership as Belgium captain will not be like that of his Chelsea teammate, John Terry. The 25-year-old was handed his country’s armband just before Euro 2016 after Vincent Kompany was ruled out of the competition.
Image: Eden Hazard
In the absence of Kompany, who plays for Manchester City, Hazard has retained the leadership position.
Recent reports confirm the Chelsea player will continue in the leadership position for a very long time.
Kompany has returned to action both for country and club but has suffered recurring injuries, forcing him in and out of the treatment room.
Last Wednesday, coach Roberto Martinez whose assistant is a former Arsenal player Henry Thierry, confirmed Hazard will remain his team captain even when Kompany returns to Belgium national team.
However, the coach and players understand Hazard to be a very quiet person with characteristics quite different from Terry and Kompany.
“It’s good for me to be the captain,” he told reporters ahead of Sunday’s World Cup qualifier against Estonia.
“I enjoy it. But I can’t be like John Terry. As captain, I don’t talk too much. I try to talk with my feet on the pitch.
“My ambition is to lead Belgium to the World Cup, to win something for the country. I hope we can do it but it’s still far away.”
Hazard says his recent goal scoring form was harnessed by Chelsea’s Italian coach, Antonio Conte.
The Blues are now back in contention for the Premier League title and more, and the No. 10 has scored three more goals above his total score for the whole of last season.
“Maybe the system has helped me to find my form,” he added.
“We tried it in Belgium, now we do it with Chelsea. I said after the 5-0 win against Everton, it means I just need to focus offensively as the wing-back is there to defend. My fortunes have changed since the system changed.
“It’s very good to play with my brother as well. I hope there will be lot of games together.”
Good confession from Hazard. Not everyone is born to lead but we can learn to work with people without leading them. That way, it works even better.