Aidan A. Kelly (born October 22, 1940) is an American academic, poet and influential figure in the Neopagan religion of Wicca. Having developed his own branch of the faith, the New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn, during the 1960s, he was also initiated into other traditions, including Gardnerianism and Feri, in subsequent decades. Alongside this, he was also an important figure in the creation of the Covenant of the Goddess, an organisation designed to protect the civil rights of members of the Wiccan community in the United States. He has also published academic work studying the early development of Gardnerian Wiccan liturgy, primarily through his controversial 1991 book ''Crafting the Art of Magic''.

Kelly became an organizer and leader in the Neo-Pagan community while studying for a Master's degree in creative writing at San Francisco State University in 1967 and 1968. A friend asked him to write a ritual for a Witch sabbat as part of an art seminar. This project led to the founding in October 1967 of the New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn (NROOGD), which evolved into a Wiccan coven in 1969. Although humorously named after the famous Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Kelly's coven was otherwise unrelated to that group.

The NROOGD tradition co-founded by Kelly in 1969 continues to operate in California and has covens in other states, Canada and the UK.

As one of the co-founders of the Covenant of the Goddess (CoG), Kelly helped write the organization's charter and bylaws in 1975. The organization's charter was filed with the State of California on October 31, 1975, incorporating CoG as a non-profit religious corporation. From CoG's inception in 1975 until 1977, Kelly served on its national board of directors.

Early life and education[link]

Aidan Kelly was born on October 22, 1940 in Colon, Panama, the first of four children to Marie Cecile Kelly and John Patrick Kelly. Panama was his father's first assignment as a U.S. Army officer after graduating from West Point. John Patrick Kelly's military career took the family to assignments around the world. In 1955 they settled in Mill Valley, California, where Kelly graduated from Tamalpais High School in 1957. Later Aiden would find out that, from the time of WWII until the 1990's, his father was working high-ranking military intelligence officer.

Shortly after moving to Mill Valley, Kelly experienced what he described as a "spontaneous mystical experience," when a vision of the Goddess first appeared to him at the age of 15. Although Kelly was raised as a Roman Catholic, his vision of the Goddess in Mill Valley triggered a lifelong interest in alternative religions.

After graduating from high school, Kelly studied at the University of California, Berkely, then San Francisco State University (San Francisco State College at that time), where he received his bachelor's degree in 1964.

Writing Career and Professional Life[link]

After graduating from San Francisco State in 1964, Kelly worked as an editor for Stanford University Press. He returned to San Francisco State in 1966, where he completed a master's degree in creative writing in 1968. From then, until 1973, Kelly worked for publisher W. H. Freeman and Company. At the end of 1973, he left W. H. Freeman to begin working on a Ph.D. at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley. He also started his own business as a consulting editor at this time.

While working on his Ph.D. during 1974 and 1975, Kelly was able to study pages from an early Book of Shadows, purportedly typed by Gerald Gardner as well as a manuscript titled “Ye Bok of ye Art Magical” from Gardner's former Museum of Witchcraft, then owned by Ripley’s, now owned by the Wiccan Church of Canada. He hoped to use these materials to reconstruct a history of how Gardner founded modern Wicca. The resulting manuscript was used to satisfy his comprehensive examination topic in Sociology of Religion for his doctorate program at GTU. Although Kelly wrote the manuscript under contract to Llewellyn Publications, it was declined by Llewellyn as "too difficult and scholarly." He offered the book to other publishers without success.

In 1976, Kelly sought help from Alcoholics Anonymous. He withdrew from participation in the Neo-Pagan community in 1977 and became a practicing Roman Catholic from 1978 until 1987. However, as Kelly explained in a 2006 interview with Lisa Harris of ''Widershins'', he "never stopped being a witch; I just stopped practicing for a while."

Kelly received a Ph.D. in Theology from GTU in 1980. For the next eight years, he taught at schools in the San Francisco Bay area, including the University of San Francisco and Holy Family College. He was active in scholarly professional societies, and from 1987 to 1990 co-chaired the steering committee for the American Academy of Religion's Group on New Religious Movements.

Llewellyn published Kelly's previously rejected research in 1991 as ''Crafting the Art of Magic'', which has since been republished in a revised 2007 edition titled ''Inventing Witchcraft''.

After moving to Seattle, Washington in 1997, Kelly worked for several companies related to Microsoft. He accepted a teaching position for the Berkeley Learning Center in Lakewood, Washington in 2001. In 2008, Kelly and his family moved to New Orleans, where he teaches for ITT Technical Institute and continues to write.

Controversial Work[link]

''Inventing Witchcraft'' labels "the Craft" as a ''new religion'', founded by Gerald Gardner "in 1947, give or take a year." (p. 33-34) This theory obviously conflicts with Gardner's own claim to have been initiated in 1939 into one of England's last surviving witch covens. Kelly's book identifies the initiation of Gardner as "the foundational myth" of Modern Witchcraft. (p. 35)

In support of his theory, Kelly explains that "the paper trail stops in 1946. We have no serious historical evidence for the existence of any Gardnerian coven before then." (p. 32)

Not surprisingly, ''Inventing Witchcraft'' and the earlier edition of Kelly's work, ''Crafting the Art of Magic'', became a source of controversy among Wiccans, especially in Gardnerian Wicca covens, who trace the origin of their traditions to Gerald Gardner. To accept Kelly's theory that Gardner "invented" a new religion, would mean giving up the belief that Gardnerian Wicca was the revival of an ancient faith previously held in secret by a few survivors. (p. 28)

Kelly's work was criticized for both its overall premise and specific details. Donald H. Frew complained that ''Crafing the Art of Magic'' contained errors in quoting source texts to support Kelly's theory. Frew also objected to the accusation of homophobia (''Inventing Witchcraft'', p. 155) that Kelly felt was exhibited by Gardner's writings.

The "new religion" concept in Kelly's work was not entirely unwelcome in the Wiccan community. Other Neo-Pagan historians, such as Ronald Hutton and Jacqueline Simpson, wrote supportive responses to Kelly's work, disputing some of the criticism.

Bibliography[link]

References[link]

----

Category:Wiccan priests Category:Living people Category:1940 births

es:Aidan Kelly

name	Eden Hazard
fullname	Eden Hazard
height
birth date	January 07, 1991
birth place	La Louvière, Belgium
currentclub	Lille
clubnumber	10
position	Attacking midfielder Winger
youthyears1	1995–2003
youthyears2	2003–2005
youthyears3	2005–2007
youthclubs1	Royal Stade Brainois
youthclubs2	Tubize
youthclubs3	Lille
clubs1	Lille
years1	2007–
caps1	144
goals1	33
nationalyears1	2006–2007
nationalyears2	2007–2009
nationalyears3	2008–
nationalteam1	Belgium U17
nationalteam2	Belgium U19
nationalteam3	Belgium
nationalcaps1	17
nationalgoals1	4
nationalcaps2	9
nationalgoals2	6
nationalcaps3	26
nationalgoals3	1
ntupdate	19:20, 24 March 2012 (UTC)
pcupdate	19:20, 2 May 2012 (UTC) }}

Eden Hazard (born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian international footballer who currently plays for French club Lille in Ligue 1 and the Belgium national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger. Hazard is known for his creativity, speed, and technical ability and is described as a "fearless, explosive attacking midfielder who can change the game with a turn of pace or a dribble". He has also been described as "a defender's nightmare" and has earned critical acclaim for his playing style, which has led to the media, coaches, and players drawing comparisons to FIFA World Player of the Year winners Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Hazard is the son of former Belgian footballers and began his football career in Belgium playing for local clubs Royal Stade Brainois and Tubize. In 2005, he moved to France joining first division club Lille. Hazard spent two years in the club's academy and, at the age of 16, made his professional debut in November 2007. In his first full season as a starter, he won the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Young Player of the Year award becoming the first non-French player to win the award. In the 2009–10 season, Hazard captured the award again becoming the first player to win the award twice. He was also named to the league's Team of the Year. Since making his debut in 2007, Hazard has become an integral part of the club under manager Rudi Garcia racking up over 180 appearances. In the 2010–11 season, he was a part of the Lille team that won the league and cup double and, as a result of his performances, was named the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year becoming the youngest player to win the award. Hazard was also given the Bravo Award by Italian magazine Guerin Sportivo for his performances during the 2010–11 season.

Hazard is a Belgium international, having represented his nation at under-17 and under-19 level. Prior to starring for the senior team, he played on the under-17 team that qualified for the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship and 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Hazard made his senior international debut in November 2008, at the age of 17 years and 316 days, in a friendly match against Luxembourg. Nearly three years after his debut, Hazard scored his first international goal against Kazakhstan in October 2011.

Personal life [link]

Hazard was born in the city of La Louvière, but was raised in Braine-le-Comte, a small town in the Wallonia region. He grew up in a family where football was dominant. His mother, Carine and father, Thierry (not to be confused with the French singer and songwriter of the same name) were both footballers in Belgium. His father spent most of his career playing at semi-professional level with R.A.A. Louviéroise in the Belgian Second Division. He played mainly as a defensive midfielder. His mother played as a striker in the Belgian Women's First Division and stopped playing when she was three months pregnant with Eden. After playing football, both parents became sports professors. Thierry retired from his position in 2009 in order to devote more time to his children.

Hazard is the oldest of four children. He has three brothers, all of whom play football. Thorgan currently plays for Lille's biggest rivals RC Lens. Hazard's other younger brothers are Kylian, 16, and Ethan, seven. In August 2011, Kylian joined the youth academy of Lille after a deal had been agreed to allow him to join the club when he turned 16, while Ethan remains in Belgium playing in the youth academy of Eden's former club A.F.C. Tubize. Hazard and his three brothers were raised in a comfortable environment with their parents ensuring they had whatever they needed to excel. The family lived "no more than three meters" from a football training ground and the brothers often ventured onto a training pitch through a small hole in order to hone and develop their skills. Hazard is currently in a relationship with girlfriend Natasha. On 19 December 2010, Belgian and French media announced that she had given birth to a baby boy.

Club career [link]

Early career [link]

Hazard began his football career playing for hometown club Royal Stade Brainois at the age of four. During his time at the club, one of his youth coaches described him as a "gifted" player who "knew everything. I had nothing to teach him". Hazard spent eight years at the club before moving to Tubize. While at Tubize, he was spotted by a Lille scout while playing in a local tournament with the club. The scout's subsequent report on the player prompted club officials to meet with Hazard's father and offer the young player an ''aspirant'' (youth) contract. Hazard's parents accepted the offer with hopes that the training facilities in France would be better. Hazard's father later admitted that the decision to let Eden and, later Thorgan, join clubs in the North of France was the best solution stating "They remained so close to home and, at the same time, they integrated at structures where they could grow, because in Belgium, unfortunately, it's a little empty for the training of youth".

Lille [link]

Hazard joined Lille in 2005 and spent two years developing in the club's local sports school, due to its youth academy in Luchin not being in operation at that time. On 28 May 2007, he signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three year deal with Lille. At the start of the 2007–08 season, at the age of 16, Hazard was promoted to the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth level of French football, though he still played with Lille's under-18 team in its league and the Coupe Gambardella. Hazard made his amateur debut on 1 September 2007 in a league match against Racing Club de France appearing as a second half substitute in a 3–1 defeat. He made his first start a week later in the team's 1–0 defeat to Lesquin.

After spending the majority of October and the early part of November playing with the club's under-18 team, on 14 November, due to several players being on international duty, Hazard was called up to the senior team by manager Claude Puel to participate in a friendly match against Belgian club Bruges on 16 November. He appeared as a substitute in the match and, as a result of his performance, was included in the 18-man squad to face Nancy in a league match on 24 November. Hazard, subsequently, made his professional debut in the match coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute. Hazard returned to the club's reserve team and spent December playing with the squad. Following the winter break, Hazard returned to the first team in January and made substitute appearances in three league matches against Metz, Sochaux, and Paris Saint-Germain. Following the match against Paris Saint-Germain, he was demoted back to amateur level where he played concurrently with the reserve team in the fourth division and the under-18 team in the Coupe Gambardella. On 17 May 2008, he scored his first amateur goal in a 3–2 victory over Vitré. Hazard finished his amateur career with 11 appearances and one goal, helping the reserve team finished in fifth place, which was first among professional clubs' reserve teams playing in the group.

2008–09 season [link]

For the 2008–09 season, Hazard was given the number 26 shirt after playing with the number 33 shirt in his debut season. He was also promoted to the senior team permanently by new manager Rudi Garcia. Early on, he made substitute appearances regularly making his season debut as a substitute on 14 September 2008 against Sochaux in a 1–1 draw. One of his substitute appearances proved beneficial against Auxerre on 20 September. With Lille trailing 2–1 in the waning minutes of the match, Hazard, after Lille took a corner kick, quickly scooped up a short clearance from Auxerre and took a right-footed shot just outside the box. It beat the keeper and drew the score 2–2 in the 88th minute. With Lille's confidence high, the club won the match 3–2 in injury time following a goal from Tulio de Melo. Hazard's first career goal resulted in him becoming the youngest goalscorer in the club's history. Four days after scoring his first professional goal, Hazard made his first professional start in a 4–2 defeat on penalties to Montpellier in the Coupe de la Ligue. After featuring as a substitute in the team's next five league matches, on 15 November, Hazard made his first professional league start against Saint-Étienne. He capped the appearance by scoring the opening goal in the club's 3–0 victory. His assured performances with the club resulted in Lille offering him a three year contract extension, which he agreed to on 18 November 2008, tying him to the club until 2012.

After featuring as a substitute in December, Hazard returned to the starting lineup in January. On 23 January, he scored the second goal in a 3–0 win over amateur club Dunkerque in Round of 32 of the Coupe de France. Two weeks later, he scored the match-winning goal in a league match against Sochaux and, on 22 February, assisted on the winner against Monaco. In the Round of 16 of the Coupe de France, Hazard netted a goal in a 3–2 win over the competition's defending champions Lyon. On 26 April, he scored the opening goal against Marseille, though Lille lost the match 2–1. In the final ten league matches of the campaign, Hazard started eight and contributed to the team finishing in fifth place, which resulted in Lille qualifying for the newly-created UEFA Europa League. After the season, he was named the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Young Player of the Year, becoming the first international player to achieve the honor.

2009–10 season [link]

}}

Following the 2008–09 season, constant media speculation occurred in numerous countries regarding Hazard's availability on the transfer market. Despite Lille chairman Michel Seydoux declaring the player off limits and Hazard stating that he wanted to remain at the club for at least another season, several clubs declared interest in the player. These included English clubs Arsenal and Manchester United, Italian club Internazionale, and Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. French football legend Zinedine Zidane personally recommended the player to the latter club.

Hazard began the 2009–10 season on a positive note scoring in Lille's first competitive match of the season. The goal, contributing to the team's 2–0 victory, came against Serbian club FK Sevojno in the first leg of the club's third qualifying round match in the UEFA Europa League. On 27 August, he scored his second career European goal in the club's second leg tie in the playoff round against Belgian club Genk. It was Lille's final goal in the club's 4–2 victory. The 6–3 aggregate scoreline assured the club progression to the Europa League group stage. On 22 October, he scored a goal in Lille's important 3–0 victory over Italian club Genoa in the 84th minute after entering as a substitute 10 minutes prior. Upon receiving the ball on the left wing, Hazard proceeded to dash through the midfield dribbling past six Genoa defenders before finishing at the 18-yard box. A month later, Hazard was instrumental in Lille's 5–1 thrashing of Czech club Slavia Prague as he was partly responsible for the opening goal — slicing through the defense and delivering a cross near post, which awkwardly went off Slavia player Marek Suchý resulting in an own goal.

On 20 December, he scored his first league goal of the season in the club's 3–0 win over Le Mans. Hazard also provided both the assists on the other two goals. On 30 January, Hazard scored the only goal in Lille's win over Derby du Nord rivals Lens. The victory helped the club achieve stability in the league by keeping them in the UEFA Champions League places. It also ended a disaster of a week which saw Lille suffer elimination from both of France's cup competitions. Five days later, Hazard and Lille reached an agreement on a contract extension, which will keep the player at the club until 2014. On 11 March, Hazard scored the only goal in Lille's victory over English club Liverpool in the first leg of the club's UEFA Europa League tie converting a free kick in the 83rd minute. Three weeks later, Hazard provided two assists in the club's 4–1 win over fellow title contenders Montpellier. The two passes brought his league tally to seven, tied for second in the league. For his impressive displays in the month of March, Hazard was given the UNFP Player of the Month award.

On 29 April, Hazard was nominated for the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year award. He was also nominated, for the second consecutive season, for the Young Player of the Year award. On 9 May, Hazard was awarded the UNFP Young Player of the Year trophy for the second consecutive season. He became the first player since its inception in 1994 to win the award twice. Hazard lost out on the Player of the Year award, which was awarded to Lyon striker Lisandro López.

2010–11 season [link]

Hazard began the 2010–11 campaign as a starter featuring in Lille's first six league matches of the season, as well as matches in the UEFA Europa League. On 29 August 2010, he scored his first goal of the season in a 1–1 draw with Nice. In late September, Hazard began to struggle with inconsistency and was benched by Garcia in an effort to "allow him (Hazard) to breathe and learn that his performances were insufficient". Hazard, subsequently, appeared as a substitute in the team's 2–1 defeat to Portuguese club Sporting in the Europa League and as a substitute in the next three league matches against Toulouse, Montpellier, and Lyon. Hazard later admitted that his first bout of inconsistency affected him stating "The first two months were a bit tough. I wouldn’t say that I began doubting my abilities, but I definitely went through a really patchy spell".

On 7 October, Belgium national team manager Georges Leekens, citing Hazard's recent spell on the bench at Lille, said that the player needed to work harder, both physically and mentally, to regain his past year's form. The team's assistant coach, Marc Wilmots, also stated that Hazard often displayed a lazy mentality while training with the national team. Garcia responded to Leekens comments the following day stating that he thought they were "excessive" and that "Eden is only 19 years old" and can still "make more progress in all areas." Following Belgium's match against Kazakhstan, in which Hazard failed to start or even appear on the substitute's bench, Leekens responded to Garcia's comments declaring that he would stand by his previous comments and that players must think about the team and not themselves. Hazard, himself, later reflected on Leekens and Garcia comments in February 2011 stating "I learned a lot during those few weeks, mentally speaking. And since then things have got better. The national side has had a fair bit to do with that – I get a lot out of being a part of it".

Following the international break, Hazard recaptured his scoring form netting the final goal in Lille's 4–1 victory over Caen in the Coupe de la Ligue on 27 October. Ten days later, he scored his second league goal of the season in a 3–1 win against the league table leaders Brest. On 21 November, Hazard assisted on both Lille's goals in a 2–1 win over Monaco. The victory continued the club's domestic unbeaten streak, which led to Lille topping the league table following an emphatic 6–3 victory against Lorient on 5 December. At the turn of the calendar year, Hazard scored in the team's first match against amateur club Forbach in the Coupe de France. Lille won the match 3–1. In the team's following match, he assisted on goals scored by Moussa Sow and Gervinho in a 2–0 league victory over Nice. On 19 January, Hazard scored the second goal in a 3–0 victory over Nancy. On 4 March, Lille officials confirmed that Hazard had added an extra year to his contract. The new deal ties him to the club until 2015. In his first match after the news, Hazard scored the opening goal in Lille's 2–1 away win over title rivals Marseille. The goal was scored on a left-footed shot from almost out and was clocked at .

On 2 April, Hazard capped his 100th league appearance with Lille by scoring the second goal in a 3–1 win over Caen. The goal tied his career-high for goals in a season and also moved Lille eight points clear at the top of the league table. For his performances in the month of March, Hazard was named the UNFP Player of the Month for the second time in his career. On 19 April, after appearing as a first half substitute, he scored the opening goal in Lille's 2–0 Coupe de France semi-final victory over Nice. The victory inserted the club into the 2011 Coupe de France Final; the club's first appearance in the competition's final since 1955. On 7 May, Hazard converted a game-winning free-kick goal in the team's 1–0 win over Nancy. Three days later, he was nominated for the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season. In the Coupe de France final, Hazard played 89 minutes as Lille defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 at the Stade de France. A week later, Lille clinched the Ligue 1 title by drawing 2–2 away to Paris Saint-Germain, achieving the club's first league championship since the 1953–54 season and the club's first double since the 1945–46 season. The domestic cup and league title were the first two honours in Hazard's career. On the day after Lille won the league, Hazard was named the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year becoming the youngest player ever to win the award. He was also rewarded with a place in the organization's Team of the Year for the second consecutive season.

2011–12 season [link]

Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Hazard switched to the number 10 shirt. In Lille's first competitive match of the season against Marseille in the 2011 Trophée des Champions, Hazard scored the team's second goal, which put Lille up 2–0. Marseille would later come back to win the match 5–4. On 20 August, in the team's third league match of the season, Hazard assisted on Lille's opening goal, scored by Benoît Pedretti, in a 2–1 win over Caen. A month later on 10 September, he scored two goals in a 3–1 away victory against Saint-Étienne. Fours days after, Hazard made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 2–2 group stage draw with Russian club CSKA Moscow. In the team's next league match following his Champions League debut, he converted a penalty in a 2–2 draw with Sochaux. Three days after, Hazard scored the equalizing goal in a 1–1 draw against Bordeaux. Against Turkish outfit Trabzonspor on 27 September, he assisted on Lille's only goal, scored by Moussa Sow, in a 1–1 draw. After going over two months without scoring a league goal, on 3 December, Hazard came on as a substitute and scored the match-winning goal in a win over Ajaccio converting a penalty—described as a "Antonín Panenka-style chipped penalty". Two days later, Hazard was among several players nominated for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Team of the Year for the 2011 calendar year.

In Lille's final match before the winter break, Hazard tied his career-high for league goals in a season by scoring the team's third goal in a 4–4 draw with Nice. After scoring the goal, Hazard celebrated by paying tribute to Molami Bokoto, a former Lille youth academy player who had died a day prior. In Lille's first match following the 2011–12 winter break, Hazard scored his ninth goal of the campaign in a 6–0 away win over amateur club Chantilly in the Coupe de France. In the following month, Lille were defeated 2–0 by league rivals Marseille and eliminated from both national cup competitions. On 28 January, Hazard scored the team's opening goal converting a penalty in a 3–0 win over Saint-Étienne. Two weeks later, he converted a free kick goal against Bordeaux. Lille had been trailing 4–1 prior to the goal and eventually recovered to draw the match at 4–4, however, Bordeaux scored in injury time to secure a thrilling 5–4 win. After going scoreless in the team's next three league matches, on 3 March, Hazard scored both team goals in a 2–2 draw with Auxerre. His second goal, a penalty conversion, brought his total goal tally on the season to 13, which is a personal best.

Following Lille's 2–1 league defeat to Lyon on 10 March, Hazard embarked on a streak in which he charted a statistical output in the team's next three league matches. On 18 March, he scored a goal and assisted on two others in a 4–0 win over local rivals Valenciennes. On the next match day against Evian, Hazard converted a penalty and assisted on a goal by Dimitri Payet in a 3–0 win. He repeated his previous feat against Evian the following week on April Fools' Day 2012 in a 2–1 win over Toulouse. In the first half, Hazard converted a first-half penalty and later assisted on another Payet goal to cap the victory. On 15 April, Hazard marked his 100 consecutive Ligue 1 appearance, which is the longest current run in the French top flight, by scoring a goal and assisting on another in a 4–1 win over Ajaccio. A week later, Hazard scored another goal, this time in a 2–0 win over Dijon. On 29 April, in a vital league fixture against Paris Saint-Germain, he converted his ninth penalty of the season to draw the match at 1–1 canceling out a goal from Javier Pastore. Hazard later contributed to Lille's game-winning goal after delivering a ''rabona''-style cross into the box, which was laid onto the path of striker Nolan Roux who, subsequently, converted the goal to give Lille a 2–1 win.

International career [link]

Youth [link]

Hazard has played for various Belgian national youth teams, such as the under-17 and under-19 teams. With the under-17 team, Hazard was a regular in the team making 17 appearances and scoring four goals. He played with the team in the Toto Cup, a yearly international youth tournament held in Austria and, also, played in the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, which Belgium hosted. In the tournament, Hazard scored his only goal in the team's opening match against the Netherlands converting a penalty in a 2–2 draw. Throughout the tournament, Hazard impressed media and coaches, which led to many in Belgium comparing him to Belgian football legend Enzo Scifo. Belgium suffered elimination in the semi-finals of the competition, losing to Spain 7–6 on penalties. Belgium were minutes away from a victory, courtesy of an own goal from David Rochela, which Hazard was particularly instrumental in, however Barcelona striker Bojan Krkić equalized for his nation to send the match into extra time. Due to finishing in third place at the tournament, Belgium qualified for the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup, held in South Korea. Hazard was selected to participate and played in all three group stage matches, where Belgium were eliminated.

After playing at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in August and September 2007, Hazard began earning call-ups to the under-19 team the following month in October. His first appearance came in a 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship qualification match against Romania coming on as a substitute in a 4–0 victory. He subsequently played in the next two group stage matches against Iceland and England. Belgium lost both matches. The negative results eliminated the country from the tournament. Due to being an underage player the previous year, Hazard was eligible for the under-19 team for the 2008–09 season. Due to his increase participation with Lille's first team, Hazard was only allowed participation in 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship qualification matches by his club and, as a result, missed the 2008 edition of the Milk Cup, which was held during Lille's preseason. On 7 October 2008, he scored his first under-19 goal in the team's 5–0 victory over Estonia. Three days later, he scored a double in a 2–2 draw with Croatia. In the Elite Round, Hazard led the team in goals scoring three. In the opening match against the Republic of Ireland, he scored the lone goal. In the next match, Hazard was influential in the team's 5–0 thrashing of Sweden scoring a goal and assisting on two others. In the team's final match, they faced Switzerland. Belgium needed an outright victory to progress to the 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, but were eliminated from qualifying after drawing 1–1 with the Swiss, despite Hazard opening the scoring for Belgium in the 21st minute.

Senior [link]

Although Hazard is still eligible to represent Belgium on youth level, on 18 November 2008, he was called up to the Belgium senior team, for the first time, by manager René Vandereycken for the team's match against Luxembourg. Prior to making his national team debut with Belgium, Hazard was courted by French Football Federation officials who sought the player to play for the France national team as he had became eligible for French citizenship. Hazard did not respond to the courtship and later stated "Because of my presence in France for seven years, I feel 99% Belgian and 1% French, but the idea of French ​​citizenship has never crossed my mind".

Hazard made his highly anticipated debut for Belgium in the match against Luxembourg coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute for Wesley Sonck. On his debut, Hazard became the eighth youngest player in Belgian football history at 17 years and 316 days to play for the national team. On 12 August 2009, after three consecutive substitute appearances with the team, he made his first start under coach Franky Vercauteren in the team's 3–1 friendly loss to the Czech Republic. Following the resignation of Vercauteren, he was replaced with manager Dick Advocaat. Under Advocaat, Hazard became a starter in the team and, on 14 November 2009, played a full match for the first time in his international career. In the match, which was played against Hungary, Hazard assisted on two goals in a 3–0 win.

Advocaat was replaced as manager in May 2010 with Georges Leekens. After featuring as a starter in Leekens first three matches in charge, Hazard began appearing as a substitute for Belgium during the 2010–11 season. Leekens justified his benching of Hazard citing the players' domestic performance, which had been underwhelming at the time, while also admitting that Hazard displayed a lack of desire in training with the national team and often neglected his defensive duties during international matches. After appearing as a substitute in two straight matches, Hazard returned to the starting lineup for the team's November 2010 friendly match against Russia. In the match, which Belgium won 2–0, Hazard assisted on the team's opening goal scored by Romelu Lukaku. After featuring as a starter in the team's 1–1 draw with Finland in February 2011, Hazard was relegated back to the substitute's bench for the team's important March 2011 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches as Leekens preferred Nacer Chadli and Moussa Dembélé on the wings. In the team's 29 March qualifier against Azerbaijan, he appeared as a second-half substitute and assisted on the team's final goal in a 4–1 win. Following the matches, French media began questioning why Hazard was struggling to be appreciated in his home country, while, at the same time, was being praised in France. Marc Wilmots, assistant coach of the national team, responded to the media reports stating "Some people only see Eden's qualities" and "the French press are sometimes blinded by his moments of magic".

In Belgium's next competitive match against Turkey on 3 June 2011, Hazard started the match, but was substituted out after 60 minutes. Disappointed with his performance and substitution, the midfielder retired to the locker room and was later spotted on television outside the stadium with his family eating a hamburger while the match was still ongoing. Following the episode, which has become known as ''Burgergate'' in Belgium, Hazard apologized for the defection, while Leekens attributed Hazard's response to the substitution as "a young player making a mistake". On 4 August, Leekens announced that Hazard would be disciplined for his actions during the Turkey match and, as a result, would miss the team's 10 August friendly match against Slovenia, as well as the team's Euro qualifying return match against Azerbaijan on 2 September and friendly against the United States four days later. On 9 August, Hazard's management group issued a press release to the Belgian media. The release detailed Hazard's actions during the Turkey match, criticized the player's three-match suspension, as well as questioned Leekens constant criticism of Hazard. On 25 August, it was announced that Leekens had lifted Hazard's suspension and the midfielder was subsequently named in the team to play the September fixtures. Leekens decided to lift the suspension after having a meeting with Hazard that was organized by the player's agent.

On 7 October 2011, nearly three years after his debut, Hazard scored his first international goal against Kazakhstan in a 4–1 victory. The victory inserted Belgium into second place position in its group in qualifying for UEFA Euro 2012 with the team needing a victory over Germany on 11 October to secure a place in the qualifying playoffs. In the match against Germany, Hazard played the entire match as Belgium failed to earn a place in the European Championship losing 3–1 in Düsseldorf.

Style of play [link]

Hazard primarily plays as either an attacking midfielder or a winger and has been credited as being "possibly the outstanding talent in Europe right now". Under Lille manager Rudi Garcia, Hazard often plays in the latter role in the team's 4–3–3 formation and regularly switches flanks due to his ability to effectively use both feet. Following the departures of fellow play-makers Yohan Cabaye and Gervinho in 2011, during the 2011–12 season, Garcia began playing Hazard as a central attacking midfielder, while also allowing the player to roam back onto the wing if necessary. Two of Hazard's most common exemplary traits is his pace and technical ability, which has been described as both "astonishing" and "mesmerizing", respectively. Club captain Rio Mavuba described Hazard as "a great player, with an immense talent. He’s actually not that big, but he’s so fast. He’s also very difficult to dispossess and his finishing is top notch". Hazard's pace coupled with his finishing and inability to be dispossessed easily led to his former coach Claude Puel dubbing him "little Messi", in reference to the Barcelona star. Puel's sentiments were later echoed by former Marseille manager and media personality Rolland Courbis who commented "At times it looks to me like Lionel Messi on the right-hand side". Hazard's "flair and tricky" style of play has been described as being similar to Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo; a comparison later repeated by former French international Christophe Dugarry. His vision, described as being the trait he has improved on the most, has allowed him to develop into an effective passer, which compensates for his relatively low goal-scoring output.

In Belgium, Hazard's talent and similar ascension up the country's football hierarchy has led to comparisons to former Belgian international Enzo Scifo. Both players share the same birthplace and Scifo himself spent time with Hazard while he was in Tubize admitting "Eden, you know, I've coached in Tubize. During the week, I took care of the young people at least once, and he, in those days, I immediately saw he had a secure future". However, despite the positive opinions, Hazard has endured criticism from some. His former national team coach and mentor Dick Advocaat agreed with the majority in that Hazard possessed everything required to be a world-class player; however Advocaat admitted that the attacker lacked charisma stating "I told him to have more charisma. He is a talent, but he can not be seen like that forever". In 2010, current national team manager Georges Leekens questioned Hazard's work-rate. Lille youth academy director Jean-Michel Vandamme countered both managers criticism by arguing that Hazard simply possesses an intellectual honesty that is out of the ordinary and unexpected of today's footballer declaring "He is a real competitor, not a cheat, nor a moaner, because you don’t hear him complaining when he gets fouled". Hazard's calm and cool demeanor on the field has been cited as one of his best attributes. So far in his career as a professional, in which he has accumulated over 180 appearances, Hazard has collected only 13 yellow cards.

Career statistics [link]

Club [link]

''(Correct as of 2 May 2012)''

0 4 5 7 17

Club	Season	League	Cup	!colspan="3"	Other	Total
!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists
rowspan="6"	Lille		4	|	0	0	0	0	—						4	0	0
2008–09 Ligue 1	2008–09	30	|	1	5	2	2	—						35	6	3
2009–10 Ligue 1	2009–10	37	|	8	3	1	0	12	4	1	—			52	10	9
2010–11 Ligue 1	2010–11	38	|	10	7	5	0	7	0	0	—			52	12	10
2011–12 Ligue 1	2011–12	35	|	13	4	1	0	6	0	1	1	1	0	45	19	14
Total	!144!!33!!32!!20!!9!!2!!25!!4!!2!!1!!1!!0!!189!!47!!36
Career total	!144!!33!!32!!20!!9!!2!!25!!4!!2!!1!!1!!0!!189!!47!!36

International [link]

:''(Correct as of 29 February 2012)'' 8 8 6

National team!!Season!!Apps!!Goals !! Assists
rowspan="4"	Belgium	2008–09	4	0
2009–10	|	0	3
2010–11	|	0	3
2011–12	|	1	1
colspan=2	Total!!26!!1	8

International goals [link]

King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium

# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1	7 October 2011	|		2–0	4–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying

Honours [link]

Club [link]

;Lille

Ligue 1 (1): 2010–11

Coupe de France (1): 2010–11

Individual [link]

UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year (1): 2010–11

UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year (2): 2008–09, 2009–10

UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year (2): 2009–10, 2010–11

UNFP Player of the Month (3): March 2010, March 2011, March 2012 Bravo Award (1): 2011

Notes [link]

References [link]

External links [link]

Official site

Belgian FA Profile

ESPN Profile

Category:1991 births Category:Living people Category:People from La Louvière Category:Belgian footballers Category:Belgium international footballers Category:Belgian expatriate footballers Category:Lille OSC players Category:Ligue 1 players Category:Expatriate footballers in France Category:Walloon sportspeople

ar:إدين هازارد bg:Еден Азар ca:Eden Hazard da:Eden Hazard de:Eden Hazard el:Εντέν Αζάρ es:Eden Hazard fr:Eden Hazard ko:에당 아자르 id:Eden Hazard it:Eden Hazard he:אדן הזארד hu:Eden Hazard mk:Еден Хазард nl:Eden Hazard ja:エデン・アザール no:Eden Hazard pl:Eden Hazard pt:Eden Hazard ru:Азар, Эден fi:Eden Hazard sv:Eden Hazard tr:Eden Hazard vi:Eden Hazard uk:Еден Азар zh:伊登·夏薩特

name	Eden Espinosa
birth date	February 02, 1978
birth place	Anaheim, California }}

Eden Erica Espinosa (born February 2, 1978 in Anaheim, California) is an American singer and stage actress, who is best known for her performances as Elphaba for the Broadway, Los Angeles and San Francisco productions of the musical ''Wicked''. Eden Espinoza born to Eddie and Eden Espinoza. Both her parents work at Yorba Middle School as a counselor and a teacher. Espinoza has a brother, Eddie Espinoza, Jr.

Education & early career[link]

Eden Espinosa began singing at the age of three, performing at age five, and recording at the age of ten. At Canyon High School, she played the role of Maria in West Side Story. After graduating, Eden worked at local theme parks such as Disneyland and Universal Studios. Eden was also part of the successful performing group The Young Americans, which is based in southern California and performs in front of audiences worldwide.

''Wicked''[link]

Eden made her Broadway debut as a member of the Original Broadway Cast of Stephen Schwartz's musical ''Wicked'', which opened on October 30, 2003. She originated the position of standby for Idina Menzel in the lead role of Elphaba. She was also an understudy for the role of Nessarose. Espinosa performed the lead role of Elphaba for a month continuously during the Summer of 2004, while Menzel was filming ''Ask the Dusk''. Espinosa left ''Wicked'' on September 5, 2004, to originate the lead for the Broadway debut of ''Brooklyn''.

Espinosa performed the lead role of Elphaba for the ''Wicked'' First National Tour while it was in San Francisco, from August 5 to September 11, 2005. She replaced Stephanie J. Block while she recovered from an injury, and closed the San Francisco run.

On January 10, 2006, Espinosa returned to perform in the lead role of Elphaba for the Broadway production of ''Wicked'', taking over the role from Shoshana Bean. Espinosa performed for the ''Wicked'' celebration of its 1,000th performance on Broadway, on March 21, 2006. Eden played opposite both Megan Hilty and Kate Reinders as Glinda on Broadway. She left the Broadway production on October 8, 2006, and was replaced by Ana Gasteyer.

Eden received the 2006 Broadway.com Audience Award for "Favorite Female Replacement", in recognition of her performances as Elphaba during her Broadway run as lead.

Espinosa was chosen to originate the role of Elphaba for the third U.S. production of ''Wicked'' in Los Angeles, which opened on February 21, 2007 at the Pantages Theatre. She opened the show with former Broadway co-star Megan Hilty as Glinda. She received broad critical acclaim for the role. Espinosa left the Los Angeles company on December 30, 2007 and was replaced by Caissie Levy. She returned to the Los Angeles production of ''Wicked'' on October 31, 2008, to reprise the role of Elphaba and stayed with the production until its finale on January 11, 2009. ''Wicked'' Los Angeles was one of the most financially successful musicals in Los Angeles theatre history.

On March 2, 2010, Espinosa took over the role of Elphaba from Teal Wicks for the San Francisco production of ''Wicked'', on a contract which ran through June 26, 2010. She performed opposite Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda, whom she had previously performed with on the ''Wicked'' First National Tour in San Francisco.

''Brooklyn''[link]

Espinosa originated and workshopped the title role of the lead character "Brooklyn" for the musical ''Brooklyn'' over the course of two years. ''Brooklyn'' had its world premiere on April 30, 2003 and ran until June 15, 2003 at the Denver Civic Center. Espinosa made her Broadway debut as a lead, performing the role of Brooklyn, for ''Brooklyn'', on October 24, 2004. She performed the role through its close on June 26, 2005.

Espinosa was nominated for a 2005 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance for playing the title role in Brooklyn. Eden is featured on the Original Broadway Cast Recording of ''Brooklyn''.

''Rent''[link]

Eden was featured as "Maureen" for the closing Broadway company of ''Rent'' (a role again originated by Idina Menzel) beginning on May 30, 2008, replacing Nicolette Hart. She performed through closing night on September 7, 2008. Espinosa is featured on the DVD of a live filmed performance by the closing company of ''Rent''.

Additional theatre[link]

Espinosa starred in a production of ''Flora the Red Menace'' which ran at UCLA's Freud Playhouse from May 6–18, 2008. After its closing, On September 21, 2008, Eden made her West End debut in "Never Neverland", a benefit concert that raised money for British charities Ovarian Cancer Action and NCH. The concert took place at the Duchess Theatre in London.

Espinosa also performed in the one-night staging of Howard Ashman's previously-unproduced musical ''Dreamstuff'' on June 23, 2008 at the Hayworth Theatre in Los Angeles directed by Michael Urie.

Espinosa played the Fairy Godmother in the 2011 Nashville Symphony Orchestra concert version of ''Cinderella'' on April 15, 2011 alongside ''Wicked'' alum Alli Mauzey, who played the title character.

Solo shows/performances[link]

In March 2009, Eden took her solo show entitled "Me" to Joe's Pub in NYC for a series of concerts following her three performances of the show towards the end of Wicked's LA run. She is scheduled to return to Southern California with her show on Friday, July 24, 2009 at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre. Eden was featured as a soloist for Disneyland's new firework spectacular "Magical" premiering in the summer of 2009, where she sang Magical's theme song as well as classic Disney tunes like "Baby Mine".

Television[link]

Espinosa has appeared on various television shows, including ''Law & Order'', ''Robot Chicken'', and ''Dog Whisperer''. She had a recurring role in 2009 as the voice of Sasha Caylo on the super robot animated series ''Titan Maximum'', an original show developed for Adult Swim.

In 2007, she appeared on the ABC series ''Ugly Betty'' episode "Something Wicked This Way Comes" along with members of Los Angeles ''Wicked'' Cast, and performed "I'm Not That Girl" and "Defying Gravity".

She has also appeared on the ''Today Show'' in 2004, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade TV broadcast in 2004, ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' in 2007, and as a performer on the 2008 Tony Awards.

In 2011, she appeared on the animated sketch comedy series ''Mad'' episode "Force Code/Flammable" as Katy Putty, a Katy Perry parody made out of Play-Doh and singing about flammable things, and performed "Flammable", a spoof on Katy Perry's song "Firework".

Recordings[link]

Top 25 Praise Songs - Updated (2000)

Top 25 Acoustic Worship Songs (2002)

The Maury Yeston Songbook (2003)

''Hair'' - The Actors' Fund of America Benefit Recording (2005)

''Bright Lights, Big City'' - (2005 concept album)

''Brooklyn the Musical'' (2005 Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Dreaming Wide Awake: The Music of Scott Alan (2007)

David Burnham - featured duet: "As Long as You're Mine" (2007)

Magical Fireworks - soundtrack: Disneyland

References[link]

External links[link]

Eden Espinosa on Twitter

Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American stage actors Category:American female singers Category:People from Anaheim, California Category:1978 births Category:Living people

es:Eden Espinosa pt:Eden Espinosa