Christian Pulisic may publicly discourage the idea of comparing him to Eden Hazard, but those analogies are only just getting started. Chelsea sold Hazard to Real Madrid for $113 million this summer, knowing they spent $73 million on Pulisic, who plays the same position, this past winter.
Hazard believes the American prodigy can live up to all the hype, and backs his replacement to be stellar with the west London side.
“[Pulisic] can be one of the best in the future for sure,” Hazard told the media at promotional event in New York City. “He can be [a star]. Now he’s at one of the best clubs in the world…He’s a proper player.”
Eden Hazard left Chelsea as one of the most accomplished and decorated players in club history. He was in town ahead of the preseason Madrid derby being staged in the New York metropolitan area. The International Champions Cup clash may have been jsut a friendly, but it was an absolute nightmare for Hazard’s new team.
Atletico absolutely hammered Real in an eye-popping scoreline. For Hazard, he’s dealing with a situation similar to that of Pulisic- trying to replace a legend. The Belgian, who won the 2014-15 PFA Player of the Year award, was the Bernabeu’s first major signing since Cristiano Ronaldo left.
And the Pulisic-Hazard narrative has been very prevalent this summer preseason. Prominent figures from Borussia Dortmund to the USMNT to Jurgen Klopp have all been talking about Pulisic’s potential this offseason.
Also, both Pulisic’s national team (Gregg Berhalter) and club team head coach (Frank Lampard) are just as high on Pulisic’s promise as Hazard is.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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