Paul Forsyth: Eden Hazard one of many dangers awaiting Scots

EDEN Hazard has a reputation as something of an attention-seeker. The Lille player is accused of stringing along a host of different clubs these last few months, creating an auction from which he is bound to make a financial killing.

A voracious tweeter, he revealed last week that he had decided to sign for the “Champions League winner”, a step that is thought to have irritated Chelsea, who like to make these announcements themselves.

In last night’s friendly international at Wembley, the Belgian was not at his best, but occupied the spotlight nonetheless. Supporters of Chelsea, if that is where the 21-year-old is headed, wanted a glimpse of the brilliance for which they are reported to be paying £32 million. The Barclays Premier League fancied a sneak preview of its latest marketing asset.

The move, which is expected to be confirmed in the days ahead, marks the emergence of a potential superstar. Convinced that France would be better for his development, Hazard left Belgium seven years ago, and has since become one of the game’s hottest properties. An attacking midfield player with dazzling touches and an explosive turn of pace, he is already being compared to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He plays with freedom, on either flank, behind the striker or even up front. That was where he played last night, in Marc Wilmots’ second game as caretaker manager, but he was kept relatively quiet by John Terry, his future team-mate. There was a dipping shot that nearly tricked Joe Hart, and a harmless left-foot curler, but he has still to prove that he can do in England what came so easily in France.

One thing’s for sure: he will be a handful for Scotland when they face Belgium in the World Cup qualifiers, away from home in October and at Hampden nine months later. Nor will he be the only one. Craig Levein was not playing mind games when he said that Belgium were the toughest opponents his team could have drawn from the pot of third seeds. Not only are they expected to qualify for Brazil 2014, their first major finals since 2002, they are being tipped to make an impact when they get there. Marouane Fellaini, their Everton midfielder, has gone as far as to suggest that they could win the trophy.

No longer is there a shortage of famous Belgians. Vincent Kompany, the Manchester City captain, failed a late fitness test yesterday, but they still had Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen in defence, together with Jan Vertonghen, the Ajax defender who is reputed to be on his way to Tottenham Hotspur. It makes for a formidable back line.

Add to that Moussa Dembele, the Fulham striker also thought to be interesting Chelsea, as well as Romelu Lukaku, already at Stamford Bridge, and you can see why Belgium have been making strides lately. Scotland, who will be the fourth seeds in Group A, seem to have got the wrong team at the wrong time.

Belgium used to be renowned as a squad riven by egos, attitude and nightclub bust-ups, which reached a nadir during their last World Cup qualifying campaign, a debacle that led to Frankie Vercauteren’s resignation as manager. He was replaced by Georges Leekens, a disciplinarian.

Convinced that there was no justification for the hype surrounding Hazard, Leekens frequently gave only a bit-part role to the player, whom he accused of not working hard enough in defence. After Hazard was substituted in last year’s match against Turkey, he was photographed eating a burger outside the stadium, though the game had still to be completed. Leekens suspended the player for three matches, only to provoke a controversy – known, inevitably, as Burgergate – that eventually led to the ban being lifted.

When Leekens left to join Brugge, Wilmots stepped up from his assistant’s role, and immediately vowed to vowed build the team around Hazard. The player responded with a promising performance against Montenegro. When he missed the bus to training last week, Wilmots asked only that he buy his team-mates a bottle of champagne.

Hazard has not produced his best at international level – a trend that continued last night – but Wilmots knows that, if their biggest asset can be properly harnessed, he will have quite a team on his hands.

Only individual errors denied them a place in the finals of Euro 2012, where there will be countries with far less talent at their disposal.