The rise of Borussia Monchengladbach’s Thorgan Hazard

The younger brother of Chelsea star Eden Hazard, Thorgan has quietly been making his mark on the Bundesliga for the last couple of years. the 25-year old is in a three-way tie for most goals in the league, netting seven times in just ten appearances for Borussia Monchengladbach.

When your brother is a global superstar who plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world and also stars for his country at the international level, it’s understandable that you get lost in his shadow. That’s been the case for Thorgan Hazard, the younger brother of Chelsea striker Eden Hazard. But over the last two years, Thorgan has been making a name for himself in Germany as his club Borussia Monchengladbach currently sit in second place in the Bundesliga.

Once a Chelsea product, The blues loaned Thorgan off to Belgian club Zulte Waregem in 2012 in order for him to get more playing time at the first-team level. It’s in the Belgian super league where he thrived. Hazard was voted the player of the year for Zulte in 2013 after scoring 14 times and also registering 15 assists. He also won the Belgian player of the year award in 13′, beating out former Chelsea striker and fellow countrymen Michy Batshuayi.

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Come 2014, he was loaned off to Monchengladbach. After a year with the club, the move was made a permanent one. In his first two years with the German side, he struggled to find consistent playing time. But after proving himself over a period of time, he’s been a starter since last season and has been one of the most effective attackers in the entire Bundesliga.

His importance to Borussia Monchengladbach

Hazard has been on an upward trend since 2016 when it comes to scoring. in 15/16, he scored six goals. Last season, the creative winger scored 11 times, with ten of those goals coming in the Bundesliga. He also had seven assists in 2017/18. Fast forward to this season, and Hazard has almost reached his career high in goals just ten games in.

According to Bundesliga.com, in the first half of last season, Hazard became the first Monchengladbach player ever to be directly involved in a goal in nine consecutive Bundesliga fixtures.

Just like his brother Eden, Thorgan Hazard is a wizard with the ball at his feet. He has outstanding pace and control in the final third and has shown the ability to not only score goals at a high rate but also pick out teammates with exquisite through balls and crosses. Take a look below:

One of the best traits Hazard possesses is his tireless work ethic. Per Bundesliga.com, Hazard averages a league-high 31 sprints per match and has also covered more ground this season than any other player on his team at 11.7km/per match.  A lot of elite scorers tend to be selfish, but Hazard is not of that type. If he sees an opportunity to send a ball through to a teammate in a better position, he will take the assist every time. Hazard also does a tremendous job of drawing in defenders towards him, which opens up space for his teammates on the attack.

The 25-year old Belgian star has an uncanny knack for breaking through the opposing defense. He’s very good at finding space behind defenders and running onto balls without being caught offside because he knows that he has the speed to beat anyone in the final third. Hazard is crafty with his runs too, giving his teammates the option to put the ball out wide to him or thread it through the middle of the pitch.

Hazard has become Monchengladbach’s main man for set pieces, scoring four of his ten goals last year from the penalty spot. Four of his seven assists in 2017/18 were also from corners, another superior talent that he carries.

His determination and hard-working style of play has made him a star in Germany and the most important player on the pitch for Borussia Monchengladbach for the last two years.

Starring for his country

After his outstanding form last season, it earned Hazard a spot on Belgium’s World Cup squad, where he played alongside his brother as the Red Devils finished in third place in Russia. Thorgan played just two games in World Cup, starting the third-place match against England. But after his impressive play this year, expect Thorgan Hazard to be a more significant part of Belgium’s plans in the future.

At just 25-years old, the best is yet to come for Thorgan Hazard. He’s just tapping into his full potential which is scary to think considering how talented he already is.

The future is extremely bright for Thorgan.