Eden Hazard retires: Ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid winger ends football career - BBC Sport
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Eden Hazard retires: Ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid winger ends football career

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'A touch of magic' - Watch Eden Hazard's best FA Cup moments

Former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has announced his retirement from football.

Hazard, 32, joined Real Madrid from Chelsea in 2019 for £89m, but played just 54 league games for the Spanish giants and left the club at the end of last season.

He won two Premier League titles during his time at Stamford Bridge.

"You must listen to yourself and say stop at the right time," said Hazard, who has been a free agent since his contract was terminated in June.

"After 16 years and more than 700 matches played, I have decided to end my career as a professional footballer."

The Belgian had already retired from international football last December after being part of the squad which was knocked out of the 2022 World Cup during the group stage.

At Real Madrid, Hazard won the Champions League, a Club World Cup, a European Super Cup, two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups. But his time in Spain is widely considered disappointing - he scored just 7 goals in 76 appearances in all competitions.

"One of the greatest players in Chelsea history", the Premier League club said on their websiteexternal-link, adding that "he would always be welcome back at Stamford Bridge".

Hazard started his career with French club Lille, scoring 50 goals in 149 appearances and helping the club to win a domestic double of Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France in 2010-11.

He moved to Chelsea in the summer of 2012, signing for a reported £32m and went on to become a club great, winning the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2014-15.

Hazard scored 110 goals across 352 appearances for the Blues, including the winner in the 2019 Europa League final against Arsenal in his final appearance for the club.

He is also one of only four players in Premier League history - alongside Thierry Henry, Matt Le Tissier and Eric Cantona - to score 15 or more goals and provide 15 or more assists in a single season, having netted 16 times and laid on 15 assists during the 2018-19 campaign.

"During my career I was lucky to meet great managers, coaches and teammates - thank you to everyone for these great times, I will miss you all," Hazard added on social media.

"I also want to thank the clubs I have played for: LOSC, Chelsea and Real Madrid; and thank the RBFA for my Belgian selection.

"A special thank you to my family, my friends, my advisors and the people who have been close to me in good times and bad.

"Finally, a huge thank you to you, my fans, who have followed me for all these years and for your encouragement everywhere I have played.

"Now is the time to enjoy my loved ones and have new experiences. See you off the field soon my friends."

After making his international debut against Luxembourg in 2008, Hazard earned 126 Belgium caps and scored 33 goals. He featured at three World Cups and two European Championships, as well as captaining the team 56 times.

He found the net three times at the 2018 World Cup when Belgium finished third, including a strike against England in the third-place play-off.

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1004 comments

  • Comment posted by JHW93, at 10:37 10 Oct 2023

    One of the best player's I ever saw play in person. An absolute dream of a footballer at his peak. I'm in no way a Chelsea fan either but anyone says he was "overrated" or similar is either a bitter troll or has absolutely no understanding of football.

    • Reply posted by TheDarkKnight, at 10:58 10 Oct 2023

      TheDarkKnight replied:
      He thought he was something special. Played Chelsea at their own game and lost. Was not good enough for even RM subs bench. Total Turkey.

  • Comment posted by Captain Hindsight, at 10:21 10 Oct 2023

    Signing for Real Madrid was the end of his career.

    • Reply posted by Rutherford, at 10:35 10 Oct 2023

      Rutherford replied:
      his body was wrecked from years of being kicked to pieces in the PL. Not everyone is lucky enough to be as resilient to that as , for example, messi.

  • Comment posted by CastorTroy, at 10:20 10 Oct 2023

    One of the best I have seen at Chelsea - such a shame it didn’t work out at Real Madrid.

    • Reply posted by Billy McFlipFlops, at 10:30 10 Oct 2023

      Billy McFlipFlops replied:
      I thought Micky Hazard retired ages ago tbh. COYS.

  • Comment posted by drogsbreath, at 10:30 10 Oct 2023

    Eden was one of the best players ever in the Premier League. It was his dream to play for Real but all of us at Chelsea would've loved for him to stay with us. Maybe his career would've been longer and more fruitful if he had. We'll all remember him at his peak when he was virtually unstoppable. I wish all the luck in his reirement and thanks for the memories.

    • Reply posted by Wiggy83, at 10:50 10 Oct 2023

      Wiggy83 replied:
      As a Brighton supporter I watched him demolish us in January 2018. And no one resented it as it was the best individual performance we had ever seen at the Amex. And he had the grace to give his shirt to on of our home supporters too, a lad who'd been holding up a placard all game. Pure class.

  • Comment posted by One Step Beyond, at 10:25 10 Oct 2023

    A joy to watch in his prime at Chelsea.

    • Reply posted by liverpool supporter right here, at 10:55 10 Oct 2023

      liverpool supporter right here replied:
      He could do things with a football that no other player could do. He was a great player

  • Comment posted by Spoggy Dog, at 10:37 10 Oct 2023

    Chelsea's financial dealings in terms of buying players may be very questionable but you cannot deny they stuffed Real Madrid getting over £100m for Hazard when he only had one leg.

    • Reply posted by Razz, at 10:45 10 Oct 2023

      Razz replied:
      De Bruyne, Salah and Hazard. Some attacking threat there.

  • Comment posted by MH, at 10:28 10 Oct 2023

    What a shame, was right up there when he was at Chelsea, made the season ticket worth the money just to see him play, one of those rare players that was even better in real life than he looked on the telly.

    • Reply posted by Name, at 10:43 10 Oct 2023

      Name replied:
      I thought he'd retired like 3 years ago lol. Same with Fabregas, didn't realise they were both still playing until recently

  • Comment posted by Boom, at 10:23 10 Oct 2023

    Brilliant at Chelsea. Wasted at Real.

    • Reply posted by liverpool supporter right here, at 10:48 10 Oct 2023

      liverpool supporter right here replied:
      He was not managed properly at Real Madrid. Is it a coincidence that both him and Gareth Bale suffered injuries when they moved to that club

  • Comment posted by Gav, at 11:14 10 Oct 2023

    Not a Chelsea fan but he was a credit to the premier league - one of the best - mesmerising at times.

    • Reply posted by crazydiamond, at 15:41 10 Oct 2023

      crazydiamond replied:
      well said -

  • Comment posted by Mike, at 10:28 10 Oct 2023

    Forever a Chelsea legend

    • Reply posted by JM, at 16:05 10 Oct 2023

      JM replied:
      Very overrated. To think people once said he was the 3rd best player in the world, not even close.

  • Comment posted by Rutherford, at 10:25 10 Oct 2023

    absolutely unplayable for a few years. shame the injuries got the better of him but still achieved an exceptional level

    • Reply posted by Wiggy83, at 11:20 10 Oct 2023

      Wiggy83 replied:
      At his peak, one of the very best. Interesting to read in the bbc article that he ranks alongside Cantona, Henry, and a certain Matt Le Tissier. Astonishing that Le Tissier achieved so much at a club that were never going to be title contenders. Incredible talent and loyalty

  • Comment posted by Forensics, at 10:36 10 Oct 2023

    Brilliant Player should never have left Chelsea.

    • Reply posted by liverpool supporter right here, at 10:50 10 Oct 2023

      liverpool supporter right here replied:
      If he stayed then Chelsea would not have signed Sterling or Mudryk

  • Comment posted by seagull, at 10:35 10 Oct 2023

    A world class player who never really recovered from the ankle injury he received as the result of a bad tackle. He was a pleasure to watch and i wish him well in his retirement.

    • Reply posted by disgustedofwells, at 00:41 11 Oct 2023

      disgustedofwells replied:
      Left me, & several friends, open mouthed with his skills on many occasions, home & away. Unquestionably a great player for Chelsea, we were heartbroken when he left.
      His ankle never recovered, after that PSG game, and his attempts to return too quickly seemed to affect his whole body as he tried to compensate.
      Tragic end to a career, but his best years at CFC will live long in our memories.
      KTBFFH

  • Comment posted by JonB, at 10:36 10 Oct 2023

    An absolute joy to watch on his day. His mazy, effortless dribble through the West Ham defence - and then a disguised little tap into the corner, just before someone finally brings him down - in the 2018/2019 season is a goal I can go back and watch time and time again.

    Thanks for the memories.

  • Comment posted by Athils Thorgisl, at 10:36 10 Oct 2023

    He's been retired since he got that massive deal with Real.

    • Reply posted by Mike Torrinos Cellphone Battery, at 13:43 10 Oct 2023

      Mike Torrinos Cellphone Battery replied:
      No real ambition or drive, just happy to be. Several managers challenged him to reach Messi levels and his form crumbled because he couldn't hack the pressure.

  • Comment posted by koiahoy, at 10:31 10 Oct 2023

    What a shame. He played a hell of a lot of football from the age of 17 until his late 20s and then had those bad injuries, so it makes you wonder if we'll see more and more players retire around his age based on the current demands.

  • Comment posted by bazinga, at 12:05 10 Oct 2023

    Thanks Eden for that moment at the battle of Stamford bridge confirming Leicester's Title, a moment we will never forget.

    • Reply posted by Gazzas grin, at 12:23 10 Oct 2023

      Gazzas grin replied:
      Chelsea rolled over you mean. Draw played out like a friendly. Pathetic.

  • Comment posted by Soccer Guru - knows more, at 10:20 10 Oct 2023

    A technically brilliant on his day - and he had many in the premier League. Struck absolute fear in to us opposition fans when pinning full backs at full pace

  • Comment posted by SomethingAintRight, at 10:19 10 Oct 2023

    As they say, the grass isn't always greener elsewhere. He should have stayed aye Chelsea.

    • Reply posted by clarke, at 10:33 10 Oct 2023

      clarke replied:
      Easy to say that in hindsight, imagine someone wanting to employ you for an extra 100k+ a week wage than you’re already on. No one could see it wouldn’t go well at Madrid. I don’t blame him one bit, it’s not like Chelsea was his boyhood club. His a multimillionaire and I’m sure his not bothered. Plus his won the premier league, FA cup, Champions league. Not a bad career if you ask me

  • Comment posted by Banned 55 Times, at 10:23 10 Oct 2023

    Shouldn’t have gone to Madrid, was great at Chelsea!

    • Reply posted by rubber undies, at 18:02 10 Oct 2023

      rubber undies replied:
      MONEY!

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