"Had to tell the owners to stop selling burgers to Hazard" - Journalist reveals incident from Eden Hazard's first season at Chelsea
A peculiar story about Eden Hazard has recently surfaced, pointing towards his eating habits at Chelsea. While participating in an episode of the London Is Blue Podcast, journalist Matt Law revealed that Chelsea had to once restrict a burger joint from selling burgers to Hazard.
The 32-year-old Belgian recently announced his retirement from the beautiful sport after a glittering professional career that spanned 16 years. Despite his accolades, Eden Hazard has often been put under the spotlight owing to his disciplinary issues.
Recalling one such incident, Matt Law revealed that during his debut season at Chelsea, Hazard started fancying a burger van that was stationed near Stamford Bridge. His liking for the fast food place was so intense that the club had to request the owners of the van to stop selling burgers to their star player. As reported by CentreGoals, Law stated:
"The club had to tell the owners to stop selling burgers to Hazard."
After sharing this amusing snippet about the Belgian forward's time in west London, Law went on to state that his dietary habits made him seem more normal and likable.
Nevertheless, Hazard's fitness issues have had a serious impact on his career, especially during his woeful stint at Real Madrid. According to the Daily Mail, the two-time Premier League champion kicked off his career in Madrid by returning from the summer five kilos overweight.
Aside from his self-inflicted weight issues, Eden Hazard also struggled with multiple injuries during his time in Spain. Despite spending four years at the Bernabeu, the 126-capped Belgium international could only muster a meager 76 appearances.
He was eventually released by the Spanish giants earlier this year and followed it up by announcing his retirement three months later.
Eden Hazard once responded to being subbed by going to a restaurant mid-match
Back in 2011, when Eden Hazard was still plying his trade for Lille, he was called up for a Euros qualifying match against Turkey. After 60 hotly-contested minutes in the bout, then-Belgium coach Georges Leekens decided to substitute the up-and-coming youngster.
Not content with his boss' decision, Hazard stormed off the field, heading straight for the tunnel. However, he went a step ahead and proceeded to visit a restaurant while the match was still being played. He was subsequently pictured enjoying a burger with his family in Brussels.
As soon as the pictures started circulating in Belgian tabloids, Leekens imposed a two-game ban on Hazard for his unprofessionalism. Belgium eventually ended their qualifying campaign in third place, missing a ticket to the 2012 Euros.