Fresh off sending Manchester United packing in a 2-0 win, Stamford Bridge smiled in the quiet aftermath of a red-letter day as two of its favourite sons chatted in front of the East Stand. It was as mundane as it gets with them, yet still worth tucking away in the archives.

What could they have been discussing? Judging from the giggles, Mancunian misery to which they have both contributed? An extra angle in slanting the foot for more spin on a curl? Their demeanour suggests they do not care for such intricate details. And their brilliance is more like magic than a science. 

It was only fourteen years ago when Eden Hazard first introduced the Premier League to his danger. Back then, Cole Palmer was a St Bede’s College schoolboy wrestling with math equations and overzealous defenders in the Manchester City academy. There was no hint of a future connection whatsoever, yet here we are. Two generations of Chelsea number 10s, arguably the two finest ever, with so much more in common than a number at the back of a shirt.

“I’m signing for the Champions League winner.” This famous tweet from May 28, 2012 was the prologue to the love story between Eden Hazard and Chelsea. 

Hazard arrived at Chelsea’s best time yet. Two months prior, there was not much to attract him to them. The Blues were on the brink of a Champions League exit, sat 5th in the Premier League, and had hired a caretaker manager to conjure something out of their gloomy situation. Nobody imagined an FA Cup and Champions League double would emerge from it. It was more than enough to allure Europe’s brightest talents.

In turn, Chelsea received Hazard at his best time yet. Coming off a stint with Lille which culminated in a Ligue 1 Player of the Season award, he was ripe at 21, and primed to dazzle and delight Stamford Bridge for years.

The Belgian got going immediately. He was comfortable in any of the attacking positions but he would find his true home on the left wing. When he sized up a right back, the crowd shifted towards the edge of its seat. A touch here, a tease there, Hazard would go on a tear. An orchestrator, a showman and a rescuer, he became everything to Chelsea. Ahead of 2014/15, the club made sure to let him know what he meant by exchanging his number 17 shirt for the number 10. 

It’s difficult to keep a Hazard, especially when clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid, despite Chelsea’s stature, represent the pinnacle for players of his calibre. His story with Chelsea was far from perfect. He never defended with his life. He often seemed to not care. There were quarrels, like when he indulged advances from PSG while his form had dipped and Chelsea were enduring a rough time. Yet, when they needed him, he was there. Beyond his magic, his charm was his love for the club, despite everything.

Four years after Hazard’s departure, Chelsea would find themselves in a similar love story with Cole Palmer.

The Blues had finished 12th in the league prior to Palmer’s arrival and were in the middle of a chaotic and uncertain rebuild. Palmer was young and talented but unproven, having struggled to break into Manchester City’s first team. Both were far from their most attractive selves, yet in those circumstances, they were perfect for each other.

Against Manchester United over the weekend, Palmer scored his 50th Premier League goal as a Blue to continue a love story that has panned out more beautifully than anyone could have imagined, though its script has been all too familiar. Like Hazard, Palmer found a new position, albeit moving from the flanks to the centre. He has dazzled, delighted and rescued. Having begun with the number 20 shirt, he has been given the 10 as a token of his place in Chelsea hearts. Like Hazard, he has become everything to Chelsea.

Their love for the club - that is what they must have been discussing in front of the East Stand. For Hazard, his story is in its happily ever after. For Palmer, his is due some more thrilling chapters.