José Mourinho quashed any lingering whispers of animosity between himself and Eden Hazard during a congratulatory message for the latest Premier League Hall of Fame inductee.
Hazard was the shining centrepiece of Mourinho’s 2014–15 title-winning team. The Belgian forward started all 38 Premier League fixtures as Chelsea led the league from the first Monday of the season onwards, terrorising backlines with a beguiling combination of grace and gusto.
Mourinho, who had returned for a second spell at Chelsea in 2013, was openly in awe of Hazard. The Portuguese boss would play down the talents of opposition players in his prematch team meetings by writing them off as “no Maradona, no Messi, no Hazard.”
As Hazard recalled on a podcast with his former Chelsea teammate John Obi Mikel last year, “The first two seasons [with Mourinho], amazing. Remember the first year, the team was new so it was just the beginning. Then the second season of José we won the league and we won the League Cup.
“Then the third season was like starting problems, we lost games and at the end the relationship went away a little bit.”
Hazard’s form dropped off a cliff in the 2015–16 campaign. By the time he scored his first Premier League goal of the season in April, Mourinho had been out of a job for four months.
There was conflict over the natural winger’s best position—with a push for a more central role floated by the player—and the Portuguese manager was ultimately sacked in December 2015 as his defending champions hovered just above the relegation zone.
A decade on, Mourinho bore no ill will. “Eden, many congratulations on joining the Premier League Hall of Fame,” the softening 62-year-old said in a video message played to an emotional Hazard. “Everybody knows that you belong there. You are one of the most amazing players that I ever worked with and of course you have to be there.
“You are in the Hall of Fame so now you stay in our memories—and by the way thank you so much for helping to win my last Premier League title!”
Hazard Laughs His Way Into the History Books
Hazard was never an archetypal Mourinho player. Rather than prioritising victory above and beyond everything else, the fun-loving forward openly sought enjoyment over accolades. Those would soon follow.
“For a small Belgian guy from Braine-le-Comte just playing football for fun, being inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame with these great players at 34 years old is incredible,” Hazard said.
“My dream was to play at the highest level and I did it, so I am really happy. Week after week, you have big games, and at the end of the season you lift a trophy with your teammates. It’s a beautiful feeling.
“When you score goals, when you win trophies, you just want more. I am proud to know I did a few good things for seven years in the Premier League.
“We don’t play the game alone, so this is for all the people who have supported me—my family, my teammates and the fans, my friends—this is for us all.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘And By the Way’—Jose Mourinho Addresses Eden Hazard Feud in Hall of Fame Message.
