It was the perfect way to sum up a player who was almost impossible to keep down. And, fittingly for such a glorious individualist, it inadvertently came from the man himself.

“Something special,” he smiled. “Just something special.”

That’s pretty much the perfect way to describe his Chelsea career, too.

As well as one of the club’s greatest ever players, Hazard was one of the Premier League’s most distinctive, who so regularly illuminated the competition with an elusive style of dribbling that is so rare - and thereby all the more electrifying - in the modern game.

Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Show all 22 1 /22 Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Petr Cech - 7 Arsenal's Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech catches the ball during warm up prior to the UEFA Europa League final football match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at the Baku Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijian on May 29, 2019. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP)ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images ALEXANDER NEMENOV AFP/Getty Images Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Sokratis Papastathopoulos - 6 Soccer Football - Europa League Final - Chelsea v Arsenal - Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan - May 29, 2019 Chelsea's Olivier Giroud reacts as Arsenal's Sokratis Papastathopoulos gestures REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov MAXIM SHEMETOV REUTERS Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Laurent Koscielny - 6 Soccer Football - Europa League Final - Chelsea v Arsenal - Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan - May 29, 2019 Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny in action with Chelsea's Olivier Giroud REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov MAXIM SHEMETOV REUTERS Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Nacho Monreal - 5 Soccer Football - Europa League Final - Chelsea v Arsenal - Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan - May 29, 2019 Arsenal's Nacho Monreal in action with Chelsea's Pedro REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh AMR ABDALLAH DALSH REUTERS Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Ainsley Maitland-Niles - 7 Arsenal's Ainsley Maitland-Niles, left, goes for the ball next to Chelsea's David Luiz during the Europa League Final soccer match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Olympic stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, May 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Luca Bruno AP Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Lucas Torreira - 5 Arsenal's Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira (L) and Chelsea's Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic vie for the ball during the UEFA Europa League final football match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at the Baku Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijian on May 29, 2019. (Photo by Yuri KADOBNOV / AFP)YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images YURI KADOBNOV AFP/Getty Images Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Granit Xhaka - 6 Soccer Football - Europa League Final - Chelsea v Arsenal - Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan - May 29, 2019 Arsenal's Granit Xhaka lines up before the match REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov MAXIM SHEMETOV REUTERS Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Sead Kolasinac - 5 Soccer Football - Europa League Final - Chelsea v Arsenal - Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan - May 29, 2019 Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta in action with Arsenal's Sead Kolasinac REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh AMR ABDALLAH DALSH REUTERS Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Mesut Ozil - 5 BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - MAY 29: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal is challenged by Jorginho of Chelsea during the UEFA Europa League Final between Chelsea and Arsenal at Baku Olimpiya Stadionu on May 29, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images) Francois Nel Getty Images Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Alexandre Lacazette - 6 Soccer Football - Europa League Final - Chelsea v Arsenal - Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan - May 29, 2019 Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette in action with Chelsea's Mateo Kovacic REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh AMR ABDALLAH DALSH REUTERS Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Pierrer-Emerick Aubameyang - 6 Arsenal's Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reacts during the UEFA Europa League final football match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at the Baku Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijian, on May 29, 2019. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP)OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images OZAN KOSE AFP/Getty Images Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Kepa Arrizabalaga - 6 Chelsea's Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga makes a save during the UEFA Europa League final football match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at the Baku Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijian on May 29, 2019. (Photo by Yuri KADOBNOV / AFP)YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images YURI KADOBNOV AFP/Getty Images Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Cesar Azpiulicueta - 7 Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette, left, fights for the ball with Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta during the Europa League Final soccer match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Olympic stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, May 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Luca Bruno AP Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal David Luiz - 7 Soccer Football - Europa League Semi Final Second Leg - Chelsea v Eintracht Frankfurt - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - May 9, 2019 Chelsea's David Luiz celebrates after the match Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley JOHN SIBLEY Action Images via Reuters Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Andreas Christensen - 7 Arsenal's French striker Alexandre Lacazette (L) and Chelsea's Danish defender Andreas Christensen vie for the ball during the UEFA Europa League final football match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at the Baku Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijian on May 29, 2019. (Photo by Yuri KADOBNOV / AFP)YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images YURI KADOBNOV AFP/Getty Images Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Emerson - 7 Soccer Football - Europa League Final - Chelsea v Arsenal - Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan - May 29, 2019 Chelsea's Emerson Palmieri in action REUTERS/Lee Smith LEE SMITH REUTERS Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal N'Golo Kante - 6 Chelsea's N'Golo Kante, second left, passes the ball to teammate Jorginho, right, as Arsenal's Granit Xhaka, left, and Mesut Ozil watch during the Europa League Final soccer match between Chelsea and Arsenal at the Olympic stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, May 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Dmitri Lovetsky AP Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Jorginho - 6 Arsenal's German midfielder Mesut Ozil (front) and Chelsea's Italian midfielder Jorginho vie for the ball during the UEFA Europa League final football match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at the Baku Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijian on May 29, 2019. (Photo by Yuri KADOBNOV / AFP)YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images YURI KADOBNOV AFP/Getty Images Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Mateo Kovacic - 6 epa07610960 Mesut Oezil (L) of Arsenal in action against Mateo Kovacic (C) of Chelsea during the UEFA Europa League final between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan, 29 May 2019. EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV YURI KOCHETKOV EPA Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Pedro - 7 BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - MAY 29: Nacho Monreal of Arsenal is challenged by Pedro of Chelsea during the UEFA Europa League Final between Chelsea and Arsenal at Baku Olimpiya Stadionu on May 29, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images) Alex Grimm Getty Images Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Olivier Giroud - 8 BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - MAY 29: Olivier Giroud of Chelsea is challenged by Sokratis Papastathopoulos of Arsenal during the UEFA Europa League Final between Chelsea and Arsenal at Baku Olimpiya Stadionu on May 29, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) Dan Mullan Getty Images Player ratings from Chelsea vs Arsenal Eden Hazard - 8 Soccer Football - Europa League Final - Chelsea v Arsenal - Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan - May 29, 2019 Chelsea's Eden Hazard reacts REUTERS/Lee Smith LEE SMITH REUTERS

It was the source of most of his best goals, and most of his finest moments. The fact that he would produce such game-changing contributions through the most wonderful skill - like, most notably, that supreme goal against Arsenal in 2016-17 - was an endearing reflection of all that is actually great about football.

There was a purity to Hazard’s game.

It says an awful lot that one of the only players in Europe to better - or even come close to - his dribbling stats over those sensational seven years was Lionel Messi, which is why the Belgian is now talked of in similar terms.

He will now be the Barcelona star's direct competitor, across the Clasico with Real Madrid, as he seeks to make that final step up.

It was precisely because of such overwhelming talent that one of the undercurrents of Hazard’s time in England was his own managers - and other football figures - regularly lamenting that he needed to be more decisive; be more consistent; be more of “a killer”, in the words of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

And yet the very fact so managers repeated this is an argument in the Belgian’s favour.

He had to play under as many as six managers in seven seasons, with at least half of them setting out tactically straitened teams that emphasised discipline rather than creativity.

Hazard leaves as one of the Premier League's greatest-ever players (Reuters)

And yet Hazard performed to brilliant levels through almost all of them. The only exception was Guus Hiddink, but that 2015-16 campaign - where he only scored four goals - was so bizarre and so distorted, that it can be pretty fairly dismissed when it comes to sizing up his legacy.

Much more relevant, and impressive, was that he immediately responded with what was probably his best season for Chelsea in 2016-17.

It is similarly evidence of much more mental resilience than he is often credited with, and of another element to his career that further elevates him.

Hazard was the key, and most influentially decisive, player in two different title-winning teams.

There are very few in the Premier League era who can say that, even among great champions with many more medals

Hazard bowed out a champion (Reuters)

Arguably only Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Roy Keane can make similar claims.

And they all played in superior overall sides relative to the rest of the Premier League at the time, only emphasising Hazard’s importance.

It could even be seen this season. In a fairly prosaic Chelsea team, he was still utterly sparkling.

He still offered so many of his great moments.

The sight of him so smoothly bewitching defenders is what will remain, but maybe isn’t the image that sums him up.

How will Real Madrid line up next season? Show all 12 1 /12 How will Real Madrid line up next season? How will Real Madrid line up next season? How will Real Madrid line up next season? It's going to be all change at the Bernabeu. So who will Zinedine Zidane be picking next season? Getty Images How will Real Madrid line up next season? Thibaut Courtois Appears to have won the goalkeeping battle, for now at least EPA How will Real Madrid line up next season? Dani Carvajal The Spanish right back is likely to keep his spot with Achraf Hakimi still on loan at Dortmund AFP/Getty Images How will Real Madrid line up next season? Eder Militao The first new signing of Zidane's second spell could oust Raphael Varane from the starting line-up REUTERS How will Real Madrid line up next season? Sergio Ramos Not the player he was but now he has committed his future to the club, he should keep his spot for now EPA How will Real Madrid line up next season? Marcelo Another who isn't quite at the same level of years ago but he's still a quality left-back AP How will Real Madrid line up next season? Casemiro Real's best defensive midfield option keeps his place AP How will Real Madrid line up next season? Toni Kroos The German international could leave but if he stays should start in what is set to be a new-look midfield REUTERS How will Real Madrid line up next season? Paul Pogba Zidane is pushing hard to get him with United more open than ever to letting him leave. For the right price, of course Reuters How will Real Madrid line up next season? Vinicius Jr Could kick on into becoming one of the world's very best after an impressive breakout season Getty Images How will Real Madrid line up next season? Luka Jovic The Eintracht Frankfurt star could well be Bernabeu-bound as the heir to Karim Benzema Bongarts/Getty Images How will Real Madrid line up next season? Eden Hazard Chelsea have resigned themselves to losing their star man with Zidane a known admirer for some time REUTERS

That is perhaps that famous picture of his socks ripped to bits, from so many desperate tackles.

It is the ultimate testament to how he ripped defences to pieces, but in the most elegant and creative manner.

He will now make the step-up so many demanded, and that he wanted. Hazard will get to play in a team that will encourage his attacking, that will suit his creative instincts.

He’s never had that before.