'He had it all' - Claude Puel on what he saw in 'extraordinary' 16-year-old Eden Hazard at Lille

Eden Hazard was already “one step ahead of all the players around him” when he was 16 years old, according to Claude Puel, the man who handed the Belgian his senior debut.

Hazard announced his retirement from football on Tuesday aged 32, after failing to find a club following his release from Real Madrid in the summer.

The winger was a sensation during a seven-year spell at Chelsea, but he made his move to the Premier League after breaking through at Lille.

Puel was in charge of the French club when Hazard was in their youth ranks and handed him a senior debut against Nancy when he was just 16.

The former Southampton and Leicester boss explained in what made Hazard stand out at such a young age.

"Already at 16, he was extraordinary," Puel said. “He was already mature in his game, physically fit, strong and solid on his feet,” Puel said.

“Adults tried to knock him down in training or in matches, but he resisted because he was already very strong on his feet.

“He made a difference by knocking players off their feet. He's always had that ability. But at 16, he already had the composure, the release.

“He was capable of stopping in the middle of the action, putting his foot on the ball and making a decisive pass that nobody had seen. He was one step ahead of all the players around him and exceptionally mature.”

Puel added: “Another of his strengths was that he didn't feel the pressure. From an early age. I don't know if he ever felt any kind of pressure to play or to get a result.

“Maybe later in his career, but I'm not sure. Because everything was natural for him, everything flowed naturally.”

Puel departed Lille in the summer of 2008, just as Hazard was breaking into the first team to become a regular and ultimately a Ligue 1 champion in 2010/11.

“Those were just the first steps. I left the club and I didn't have the opportunity to give him anything else, but he was off to a good start with a continuous presence in the pro group,” Puel said.

“He wasn't the most assiduous player in training or in front of goal. Because what interested him was the competition. He wanted to enjoy himself. Being a passer, being selfless: he had it all.

“When you inherit a kid like that, you have to be careful not to distort him. You can't forbid him to dribble, you have to support him and simply teach him a few codes so that he can be a professional. You can't correct anything with that kind of talent because it's all innate.”

The Belgian retired with an impressive list of honours to his name, including two Premier League titles, a Champions League crown and individual accolades like Premier League and Ligue 1 Player of the Season.

Hazard also earned 126 caps for Belgium, scoring 33 goals – a record bettered only by Romelu Lukaku – and helped his country to a best-ever third place finish at the 2018 World Cup.

But Puel was honest when asked if he saw the success coming.

“No. You never know, you never can tell. He had the talent, yes. But so many things can happen in a career,” said the French coach.

“He had maturity and exceptional talent. I followed him, but he went one step further at Chelsea, where he was enormous.

“He was voted best player in the Premier League. We thought he could do it, but it wasn't enough to make it happen. He's become even more effective by becoming even more complete. I was very happy to see him blossom.”

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