Football: Eden Hazard retires at 32/ Back to the career of the Belgian star
Eden Hazard announced on Tuesday via social media that he is ending his professional football career at the age of 32. The Belgian international brought joy to Lille and Chelsea before joining Real Madrid, where his time was marred by frequent injuries. He has been without a club since his contract with the Merengue club ended in June of last year.
There won’t be a post-Real Madrid chapter for Eden Hazard. On Tuesday morning, in a message posted on his Instagram account, the now-former Belgian international (with 126 caps) at the age of 32 announced the conclusion of his professional career.
Free since the summer of 2023, the “La Louvière” native chose to “listen” to his body, which had long been disrupted by injuries over the past four years with the Merengue, and «call it quits at the right moment».
Before becoming one of the world’s top football players, the Ballon d’Or eighth-placer in 2015 and 2018 began his professional career at Lille, his youth club.
Launched into Ligue 1 by Claude Puel in November 2007 at the age of 16, during the Nancy-LOSC match (2-0), Eden Hazard quickly impressed both his teammates and opponents with his magical ball skills.
With the northern club, he won the French league title and the French Cup in 2011.
Closely followed by the biggest clubs in the world, Eden Hazard signed with Chelsea in the summer of 2012 for €35 million.
With the Blues, the Belgian quickly gained worldwide recognition. During his time at the London club, he won two Premier League titles (in 2015 and 2017), the FA Cup (2018), and the UEFA Europa League twice (in 2013 and 2019).
On an individual level, he was named the Premier League’s best player in 2015.
During his time in London, Eden Hazard became an integral part of the Belgian national team (scoring 33 goals).
Despite setbacks in the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016 (eliminations in the quarter-finals by Argentina and Wales, respectively), the winger played a significant role in the Red Devils’ journey during the 2018 World Cup. Although Belgium finished third, their best-ever result, Eden Hazard’s defining moment remained the quarter-final against Brazil (2-1).
A year later, the Belgian was transferred to Real Madrid for around €115 million, with the aim of establishing himself at the top of the global hierarchy.
However, his recurring injuries thwarted his ambitions. Despite his physical problems, Eden Hazard added to his trophy cabinet during his time with the Merengue: a UEFA Champions League (2022), two La Liga titles (in 2020 and 2022), and a Copa del Rey (2023).
«After 16 years of my career and over 700 games played, I was able to fulfill my dream, playing and enjoying myself on pitches across Europe and the world», he shared.
The pleasure of the game, that’s how Eden Hazard’s career could be summarized.
Source: eurosport
