Claudio Ranieri Greets Eden Hazard, Thanks Him For THAT Goal Against Spurs

Claudio Ranieri was in attendance at Chelsea's Cobham complex this week and it was very special.

The Italian is of course a former manager of the Blues, managing the West London club for just short of four years and building a wonderful rapport with supporters despite not winning a trophy in his time in charge.

Image: PA

And so when he was invited to Chelsea's state-of-the-art training club by Maurizio Sarri, Ranieri greeted a whole host of stars.

He embraced N'Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater, his midfield pairing during that wonderful Leicester City title triumph - but it seemed like he saved the biggest hug for the man who confirmed the Foxes as champions, Eden Hazard.

Back on 2 May, Chelsea came from 2-0 down at half-time to draw 2-2 with Spurs at Stamford Bridge - Hazard notched the superb leveller seven minutes from time and that meant Leicester had done the unthinkable and won English football's richest prize against odds of 5000/1.

A couple of years on, Ranieri, now without a job, still feels indebted to the Belgian thanks to the small part he played in that unforgettable success. He gave him a handshake, a big clutch and said "My man!" - the ultimate seal of approval one can get.

You can see the brilliant exchanges from around 3:46 onwards.

When Hazard's effort rippled the top bins on that memorable Monday night, Leicester City players were sent into a frenzy at Jamie Vardy's house.

Ranieri was watching at home but said he also went a bit mental. He also added that the 3-1 win over Manchester City away from home gave his team the belief they could actually do the unmissable.

"I was first on the armchair but after on the ceiling," he said as per The Mirror.

"I was so satisfied when we won at Manchester City. It was a fantastic performance away from home, ­unbelievable.

"When we won there 3-1, my players believed: 'Maybe we can win, maybe we can fight until the end and believe something fantastic could happen'."

Topics: Football News, Eden Hazard, Leicester City, Claudio Ranieri, Chelsea, Football

Josh Lawless

Josh is a writer who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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