When Percy Tau Showed Eden Hazard How It’s Done in the Midfield as Belgian Star Retires

• Percy Tau made his UEFA Champions League debut for Club Brugge against a mighty Real Madrid
• Eden Hazard had a quiet game that night while Percy Tau assisted for the visitor’s opening goal
• The Belgian legend announced his retirement from football aged just 32

Champions rise to the challenge when pitted against the best.

As Eden Hazard announces the end of his career, fans will dig into the memory banks to find standout performances of the Belgian and his on-field rivals.

One South African to go toe-to-toe with Hazard was Percy Tau, when his then-employers, Club Brugge, took on Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.

Tau received wide plaudits for his performance at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu against a star-studded line-up managed by Zinedine Zidane, as reported then by TimesLive.

It was Tau’s debut in the competition, and he seized the moment, producing excellent hold-up play, adding magnificent movement into space that Madrid struggled to contain.

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Full of running whenever given the ball, Tau repeatedly beat Madrid midfielders who had no option but to foul the nippy playmaker.

Sergio Ramos attempted to bully the diminutive South African, but he kept dusting himself off and pressing into space with determination.

Tau made Madrid pay when, after finding himself in acres of space, he squared it to Emmanuel Dennis, who prodded it over the line to give Brugge the lead.

Brugge only had 26% possession that night, but everything went through Tau, who ran his socks off before being subbed off close to the final whistle, having won a host of admirers.

Tau is currently 29, and fans will be hoping he has more of these famous nights up his sleeve.

Hazard, however, will leave behind a beautiful scrapbook of highlights as he walks away from football, aged 32.

Percy Tau a continental champion

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Sports Brief recently reported on Tau's celebrations after winning the CAF Champions League in true Mzansi fashion.

Tau finished that campaign with five goals and five assists and was instrumental in Al Ahly's success.

Tau is the first South African to win two CAF Champions League titles after winning it previously with Mamelodi Sundowns.