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Football

19th May 2018

Antonio Rudiger used his post-match interview to beg Eden Hazard to stay at Chelsea

"Please stay!"

Darragh Murphy

Eden Hazard was just about to rattle off the usual response about his future when Antonio Rudiger went off script.

Hazard won and scored the penalty which proved decisive in Chelsea’s FA Cup final victory over Manchester United on Saturday.

The Blues forward calmly slid the ball into the back of David De Gea’s net and lifted the FA Cup for the first time in his career but question marks continue to hang over Hazard’s future at Stamford Bridge.

With no Champions League football to look forward to next season, Hazard might be tempted to a move to a club like Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain in order to fulfill his potential.

The Belgium international remained coy on his immediate future when questioned after the FA Cup triumph.

“Now I’m just happy. To see the fans celebrate the trophy is something we like,” Hazard told the BBC.

“We didn’t play a great season but we finished well. That’s the most important thing.”

And while he also refused to commit to staying at Chelsea when he was interviewed by BT Sport moments later, he did have to deal with a desperate teammate begging him to stay put.

Antonio Rudiger, who was voted Man of the Match for a solid display on Saturday, simply wouldn’t let Hazard get a word out without begging him to stay with the London club.

“Eden Hazard, please stay!” Rudiger said.

Hazard saw the funny side of the interruption, however, and pledged his allegiance to Chelsea as long as Rudiger continued to turn in such impressive performances.

“I need Antonio Rudiger to play every game like this and then I’ll stay, I promise,” Hazard responded.