Having an older brother is difficult. Having an older brother who is a successful footballer is even harder. Just ask Phil Neville, Anton Ferdinand, or Yaya Toure. Another case in point: Thorgan Hazard. Following in the footsteps of elder sibling Eden, winner of this year’s PFA Young Player of the Year Award, was never going to be straightforward. However, Thorgan is making great strides to ensure that his big brother isn’t the only headline-grabbing Hazard.

Capable of playing in the hole or operating out wide just like Eden, the younger Hazard has taken the Belgian Pro League by storm over the past two seasons. He is blessed with great pace, terrific technique and has a penchant for scoring spectacular goals.

Chelsea snapped up Thorgan from RC Lens a few weeks after signing his brother in 2012. The midfielder is yet to play for Chelsea’s first team, spending two consecutive seasons on loan at Zulte Waregem in Belgium’s top division. There the tricky no.10 became a regular, consistently delivering dazzling displays of creativity and guile. His exploits in his first season won him the Belgian Golden Shoe in January 2013 – a trophy given to the league’s best player. Adding to that accolade, he also picked up the Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year award in the following campaign.

The 21-year old has admitted that he harbours great hopes of playing alongside his brother for Chelsea. Unfortunately, this dream won’t be realised for at least another year. Thorgan has been sent out on loan again this season, this time to Borussia Mochengladbach in the German Bundesliga. Playing in one of Europe’s top 5 leagues will further help the youngster’s development. Gladbach’s 6th place finish last time out means that the playmaker has the chance to prove himself in the Europa League; a competition in which he scored 2 goals in 6 outings last term, and which his brother won with Chelsea in 2013.

Belgium is a country renowned for producing some of the world’s finest chocolate. Recently, it has also started to churn out some rather talented footballers. Thorgan Hazard’s emergence hasn’t gone unnoticed by national team manager Marc Wilmots. An international debut in a friendly against the USA in May 2013 was followed by a call-up to the provisional squad for this summer’s World Cup. Despite not making the cut for the final 23, gaining international recognition highlighted his rising stock in world football. Don’t be surprised to see the gifted Belgian join his older brother at Euro 2016 in France.

It is certainly not by chance that Eden and Thorgan both decided to pursue a career in football. Their mother and father are ex-professionals who now work as P.E teachers. Furthermore, they have two younger brothers who ply their trade at club level in Belgium. 18-year old Kylian plays for Zulte Waregem with Johnathon Benteke – the brother of Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke. The youngest of the Hazard brigade, Ethan, attends the youth academy of Eden’s former club, A.F.C. Tubize. Raised together in the Southern district of La Louviere, the four boys used to climb through a hole in a gate in order to access a football pitch next to their house. Lining up together for Chelsea in the Premier League would represent quite some progress for the two eldest Hazard brothers.