COMMENT: Today, Eden Hazard stands at the pinnacle of the Premier League game. Voted by his peers as the competition's best, the Chelsea midfielder is also on the brink of winning a first Premier League champions' medal.
But 18 months ago, Hazard's career was at a crossroads.
His application in training was being questioned. Doubts among coaching staff and senior players were regularly raised. He just wasn't buying into what Jose Mourinho was demanding from his newly inherited squad.
At the end of training, he'd be among the first off the training pitch for a quick shower and straight home. Socialising with his teammates, strengthening the bond inside the locker room, was something which didn't interest him.
However, everything changed after an unauthorised weekend trip to France.
Hazard jumped the Channel to see his former Lille teammates in action. The first time Mourinho knew about it was when he saw Hazard on TV during the game. Making matters worse, that Monday morning, Hazard missed the start of training.
This was the breaking point for Mourinho. In the week of a critical Champions League game, Hazard was axed. Not from the starting line-up, but from the squad. And the manager made it clear in the post-match it was "because he forgot the time. He's not injured".
That moment was a catalyst for what we see from the Belgian today.
From that week, Hazard buckled down and listened not only to his manager, but Mourinho's support staff and his senior teammates. There were never any complaints about Hazard's personality or attitude towards others. But there existed a concern that "he wasn't all in". He didn't have that inner drive to make the most of what God had given him.
The Belgian, after those meetings with Mourinho, could've gone one of two ways.
The Blues boss deserves great credit for convincing Hazard to choose the path which has the accolades raining down on him today. He could so easily have gone the other way. Mourinho's press conference last week, where he described Hazard as their "golden boy" also offered an insight into the Belgian's transformation.
"In this moment Eden is in a state of mind and a tactical approach where we are winning matches because of him and we didn't lose matches because of him. This is the player I like because he's a talented player who understands what the team needs," enthused Mourinho.
Georges Leekens, the former Belgium coach, once publicly berated Hazard over his attitude in training. The midfielder snapped back, claiming he was "not a player who has to train or run a lot, I make decisive actions".
Are we still talking about the same Eden Hazard?
Such a response today is unimaginable. This season, Hazard has even insisted on giving his interviews in English, asking reporters for a critique of his language skills at the end.
It's that maturity and embracing of England's football culture which has seen the Belgian ratchet up his game this season.
You just wonder how the Hazard of that Leekens row would've handled his contract negotiations earlier this season. Chelsea chief Marina Granovskaia has never had it so easy. The Belgian basically knocked the ball into her court: 'You pay me what you believe I'm worth'. Chelsea came up with a figure of £200,000-a-week and on a handshake the deal was done.
At 24, Hazard, who has two young children with wife Natasha, is the perfect example of how, in this game, if you do the right thing the rewards will come. The Belgian is strictly a backpage headliner. Silly videos, social issues, there's nothing to pin on him. It's just his football and - after that stumble last season - his desire to be the best he can be.
The players could not have chosen better in naming Eden Hazard their Premier League Player of the Year.
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