CONOR HAZARD

Full Name: Conor William Hazard

Born: 05 March 1998

Came from: Celtic   Went to:

First game: 05 August 2023   Last game: 31 August 2024

Appearances: 35 (35/0)   Goals: 0

Born in Downpatrick in Northern Ireland, Hazard joined Argyle in the summer of 2023 from Celtic, having previously spent time on loan at Falkirk, Partick Thistle, Dundee (two separate spells) and Finnish side HJK Helsinki.

He started his career with Cliftonville before joining Celtic, his boyhood club in July 2014. At the beginning of the 2017-18 season, Brendan Rodgers promoted Hazard to the Celtic first-team squad as the third choice goalkeeper and in September 2017, he signed a new four-year contract with the then Scottish champions.

In January 2018, Hazard moved on loan to Scottish Championship club Falkirk, later making his professional debut in a 3-1 victory over Brechin City in February 2018. In total he played 12 times in all competitions for the The Bairns. One year later, in January 2019, Hazard moved on loan to another Scottish Championship club, Partick Thistle, helping his side reach the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup, taking Hearts to a replay where Hazard saved a penalty kick but conceded a late goal, the team ultimately losing 2-1 to exit the tournament. In total he played 15 times in all competitions for The Jags.

Hazard later joined Dundee on an emergency loan in October 2019 and played five games before returning to Celtic in November following the return from injury of their first-choice keeper. However, after impressing the Dundee manager during his short stint with the club, Hazard was brought back to the Dark Blues on loan for the rest of the season in January 2020. Hazard again took the starting spot in February, and only conceded one goal in his next six games, grabbing five consecutive clean sheets in the process. However, both Hazard's and Dundee's great run was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing the season to be ended early in April 2020.

Back at Parkhead, Hazard made his competitive debut for Celtic in December 2020, in a 3-2 win over Lille in the UEFA Europa League. He made his first appearance for Celtic in the Scottish League three days later, keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over Kilmarnock and also starting the 2020 Scottish Cup Final against Hearts. The match finished 3-3 (AET) before Celtic won the game in a penalty shootout, during which Hazard saved two penalties. He subsequently made five appearances in the Scottish Premiership, due to a goalkeeping crisis at the club. At the start of the 2021-22 campaign Hazard found himself at the bottom of the pecking order at Parkhead, and in January 2022, after staying in Glasgow for the first part of the season, he officially joined Finnish side HJK Helsinki on loan for the rest of year.

He made his debut for HJK in a Finnish League Cup match against Inter Turku and would go on to have a successful season in goal for HJK both domestically and in Europe. He started in 24 league matches and 13 European matches, as HJK qualified for the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League, ultimately going out in the group stage - though the season did culminate in winning the Veikkausliiga title and Hazard would be named as the Goalkeeper of the Season within the Veikkausliiga.

In July 2023 Hazard signed for Steven Schumacher as Argyle prepared for life in the EFL Championship, for an undisclosed fee.

Hazard has also made his international debut for the Northern Ireland under-19 team in March 2016 in a 1-0 defeat away to the Netherlands. Having played for the (other) Green Army at under-16, 17, 19 & 21 levels, he made his first appearance at full international level for them in June 2018, in a 3-0 defeat against Costa Rica and won his 5th cap vs San Marino in a Euro 2024 qualifier at Windsor Park in October 2023 whilst with Argyle, following his start to Championship campaign as Argyle's first choice over Callum Burton and the injury-recovering Mike Cooper.