'Eden, you must be delighted'

'Yes. It's a very good feeling'

''There has been speculation about your future. What can you tell us?'

'I'll speak to my agent soon but tonight is just about Chelsea'

'Great, thanks Eden'

No-one would have been surprised if Eden Hazard's post-match interview had followed that template.

We're used to players responding with a series of cliches in the wake of a match. Fans want to hear from the players, but it's rare that we learn anything.

Last night, however, BT Sport reporter Darrell Currie surprised the watching millions by getting the answer everyone wanted.

While the resounding victory for Chelsea and controversial choice of venue were major talking points, the question that overshadowed all others was whether this would be the last game in a Chelsea shirt for one of world football's greatest players, Eden Hazard.

After discussing the game for 60 seconds, Currie said: Two goals, I know you were desperate for the hat-trick, but everybody watching at home wants to know the same thing. Can you tell us now, where does the future lie?"

Hazard laughed and replied: "I dont know yet, you know, I think I'll decide in a few days. My target today was to win the trophy, that's it. Thats the only thing that was in my mind."

At this point many reporters would have accepted that they weren't getting a proper answer and moved on, but Currie stuck to the task and asked: "What is your thinking though? What decision has to be made? What do you have to take into consideration?"

Hazard's response to these extra questions was infinitely more interesting than what Currie would have been left with had he not continued to press the Belgian.

BT Sport presenter Darrell Currie at Clyde's Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld

This time, Hazard said: "I took my decision already you know that", at which point an alert Currie interjected with "You've made your decision?".

Hazard replied: "Yeah yeah yeah, I say that two weeks ago and now it depends on the club, so I'm just waiting..."

Currie jumped in again to ask "Depending on Chelsea or someone else?". Hazard replied: "Both clubs, I'm just waiting like the fans wait, so you will see, you will know in a couple of days".

Viewers wouldn't have been surprised had Hazard returned to the Chelsea celebrations without further questions after saying "My target today was to win the trophy, that's it. Thats the only thing that was in my mind", so accustomed are we to how little players and managers give away in these post-match interviews.

Currie had the presence of mind and confidence to stay on the subject, however, and by asking these extra questions established that Hazard had already reached a decision, and elicited the words "Both clubs" that served as confirmation that Hazard had been in talks with another club.

The reporter then sought to end the interview with a definitive quote on Hazard's future, asking the leading question: "Do you expect to be there next season or is this goodbye Eden?" and adding "All the fans want to know".

The 28-year-old responded: "Yeah, I think it's a goodbye, but in football you never know. You know, my dream was to play in the Premier League. I did this for seven years in one of the biggest clubs in the world, so now maybe it's time for a new challenge."

"Both clubs...goodbye...time for a new challenge". By remaining alert, composed and committed throughout Currie managed to break the biggest story in world football today. Instead of the Hazard rumours rumbling on, Currie's persistence won that rarest of prizes - a straight answer to a big question.

Hazard was upbeat throughout the interview and clearly didn't regard Currie's questions as intrusive, repeatedly smiling during the questions and shaking the reporter's hand at the end.  Although some Chelsea fans questioned Currie's motives and suggested this 'wasn't the time' to be asking, Hazard's demeanour, answers and handshakes clearly demonstrate that he saw nothing wrong with it.

And rightly so. It seems odd to be congratulating a reporter for asking a footballer questions, but Currie's tenacity is noteworthy precisely because in this age of bland soundbites, asking the difficult questions and receiving conclusive answers is so unusual.

There were flashes of both Jeremy Paxman and Louis Theroux in Currie's approach. Paxman in the dogged determination not to let the interviewee leave without answering the question, and Theroux in the friendly manner with which he gained the subject's trust.

Documentary maker Louis Theroux at the London premiere of Amy in June 2015

None of this was remotely cynical. It was just a reporter doing his job, and as anyone who watched Neil Lennon make it through an interview after Celtic's recent defeat against Rangers without being asked about his future will tell you, not everyone's prepared to do it.

The idea perpetuated by a few on social media that the aftermath of a big victory is somehow an 'inappropriate' time to ask a tough question doesn't hold up.  Access to players and managers at the highest level of English football is extremely limited, as The Ringer's Bryan Curtis wrote this week, and so on the rare occasion that you do get face time with a big name wasting it entirely on 'How did you feel when you scored the second?' is pointless.

When Pep Guardiola was asked in the wake of Manchester City's recent FA Cup win if he had been paid for other services by the club's owners, many took umbrage with the timing of the question, including Guardiola himself. "Do you realise what you are asking me?" responded the Spaniard. “You are asking me that on the day we won the treble? Are you accusing me?”

Again, Guardiola is not granting these guys interviews on a daily basis. It is highly unlikely that the City boss would have willingly suggested a more appropriate moment for the question to be asked, so the reporter had to take his chances. It's worth noting that Guardiola did not actually answer the question, merely becoming riled about the timing of it. That alone demonstrates that the question was worth asking.

As the regular host of Scottish football coverage on BT Sport and Premier Sports, Currie works alongside some of our game's most divisive figures in Michael Stewart, Ally McCoist and, particularly, Chris Sutton. Stephen Craigan and Alex Rae too invoke their share of fury from viewers.

You'd have to dig deep, however, to find anyone with a bad word about Currie. I've met him briefly a couple of times, and disappointingly found him to be an extremely pleasant individual rather than the secret diva I was hoping for. As the Hazard clip went viral, BT Sport colleague Grant Philips (@PhilipsGrant) tweeted: "Some will know, some won’t but @darrellcurrietv makes a hugely positive impact on every single production he is on. Tonight he delivers a very big story."

By remaining respectful while listening intently and responding quickly in search of the answers everyone wanted, Currie set an example that others would do well to follow.

As he told Football Scotland in January, "When it comes to information you need to be on the ball. You need to get that right.

"People have respect for doing your homework. I would never, ever, doesn’t matter what sport, what game or what level, turn up not knowing enough about what’s going on. I think you get found out very quickly".

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