By Adam Crafton for the Daily Mail
Published: 22:30 GMT, 22 February 2019 | Updated: 23:06 GMT, 22 February 2019
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Bertrand Traore's phone would occasionally beep and the name on the screen would be that of Chelsea superstar Eden Hazard. That was before Traore, then on loan at Ajax, took on Manchester United in the Europa League final of 2017.
Traore had sent his own congratulatory text to Hazard when Chelsea lifted the Premier League under Antonio Conte.
Once upon a time, Chelsea hoped both Hazard and Traore would represent the club's future and the story of Traore's rise would be inspiring.
Bertrand Traore poses with a Chelsea shirt following his move to the club back in 2014
Once upon a time, Chelsea hoped Eden Hazard and Traore would represent the club's future
A 2011 United Nations report marked Burkina Faso as the seventh poorest country in the world but the nation's exceptional teenage footballer had made it to the riches of the Premier League. Now aged 23 and at Lyon, he faced Barcelona in the Champions League this week.
The forward first attracted the attention of Chelsea's scouts as a 14-year-old at the 2009 Under 17 World Cup. At the time, he was training at French club Auxerre. Europe's elite took an interest but FIFA rules prevented the international transfer of a minor under the age of 18.
As such, Chelsea were in a quandary. Having identified one of the planet's most enthralling
