The football world stopped this Tuesday morning. Eden Hazard, 32, has announced that he is ending his career as a professional footballer. An ending, both terrible and tragic, but not surprising. The Belgian was without a club, and despite some requests from right to left, the former Madrilenian does not want to force, force more. His body does not allow him to continue. The injuries took everything from him. However, landing at Real Madrid was his dream. Dream that he realized in the summer of 2019, after dominating – once again – Arsenal in the final of the Europa League in Baku (4-1). But everything didn’t go as planned.
If Eden Hazard can boast of having filled his trophy cabinet with the Merengues, the titles won did not have the expected taste. The left winger has only played 76 La Liga matches in 4 seasons. The results are terrible: 4 goals and 9 assists. In the Champions League, it’s worse, with only 948 minutes played. Hazard was on the bench, or in the infirmary. His start to the game against Paris Saint-Germain in November 2019, a few months after his arrival in Spain, left a lot of hope at Casa Blanca, but the overly strong tackle signed by Thomas Meunier had more impact than expected . To tell the truth, he never came back. And this despite the attempts of the player and his medical staff. A transfer worth 115 million euros which thus turns out to be a total failure.
Ligue 1, to reveal itself and explode in the eyes of the world
The disappointing end of Eden Hazard’s career will never erase the mark left in France, especially in the north of France. It is at LOSC that the very young Belgian will make his debut at the age of 16. And he’s already having trouble. Agile, fast and incisive, the native of La Louvière is having a blast in Lille and allowing the Mastiffs to return to the top. As during this famous, unforgettable 2011-2012 season. That year, Hazard scored 20 goals and delivered 18 caviars in 38 days, a year after being crowned French champion with LOSC. A campaign that only Kylian MbappĂ© has come close to, in 2021-2022 (28 goals, 17 assists).
The Belgian has nerve and is definitely not like the others. During that same year, in 2012, just before his last match against Nancy, Eden Hazard allowed himself an outing… at night, to say the least. Rio Mavuba recounts in The locker room : “But hey, we had an appointment the next morning at a hotel at 10 a.m. At the hotel, Marko Basa opens a door and says: ‘What the hell are you doing here like that?’ I hadn’t seen, but he was talking to Eden. There, the little one replies: ‘Yeah, I didn’t have time to go home’. In fact, Eden, at that time, he was still drunk. Then the day goes by, in the evening we face Nancy. Not even 30 minutes had been played, Eden had already scored a hat-trick. The guy hadn’t even slept, he had been drinking all night and he ended up scoring a hat-trick in 30 minutes.”. A 4-1 victory for LOSC, a hat-trick for the “der des der” signed Eden Hazard, surely still drunk. A great way to say goodbye to Ligue 1 and the Lille supporters for the one who had to fly to Manchester United, before Didier Drogba made Chelsea the new European champion. Tottenham was even announced for a time as the lucky one, but it was ultimately at Stamford Bridge that Hazard decided to settle down.
Stamford Bridge, the Garden of Eden
With his brand new number 17 on his back, his gloves and his poorly trimmed beard, the Belgian genius lands in southwest London, in Chelsea. An aging Blues team that is seeing its greatest legends decline. Eden Hazard will breathe new life. From his first match against Wigan (0-2), the ex-Lille player made everyone agree. “It’s great to play with him”, said Frank Lampard at the final whistle. A top-notch performance. The first of a 7-season long adventure in England. Placed on the left wing, Eden navigates and already has great freedom. He does what he wants. Chelsea became sexy again and won the Europa League straight away, in 2013. The best is yet to come.
With the Blues, he is the playmaker. And England very quickly fell under his spell. Eden Hazard is the Premier League’s ‘fan favorite’. Everyone loves him. It must be said that his goals from elsewhere make the supporters speechless. Like his solo goal in 2015 on the Anfield pitch, or the one in September 2018, 5 years ago, in the Carabao Cup. Not to mention his run against Arsenal in 2017 which brought Francis Coquelin to the ground, as well as the entire Gunners defense. Eden Hazard has scored goals that have become legendary, without this being his greatest strength. The Spurs remember it. In 2015-2016, the Belgian experienced some difficulties and the Blues finished in 10th place in the championship. But during the “Battle of the Bridge” which pits Chelsea against Tottenham (2-2), Hazard will score one of the most iconic goals in the recent history of the Premier League to allow Leicester, subsequently, to become champion.
The playmaker has had one crazy season after another. He is at the heart of a Blues team which finished at the top of the championship in 2015 (under Mourinho, 14 goals and 10 assists) and in 2017 (under Conte, 16 goals and 5 assists). However, the team around him is not that incredible. Eden Hazard did not have the chance to know the prime of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Ashley Cole or even Petr Cech. No. But the Belgian makes his collectives shine. He only needed Willian and other Victor Moses to raise Chelsea to the top, and will conclude his love affair with the London club in Azerbaijan. On May 29, 2019, while the world automatically knows that this is Hazard’s last match at Chelsea with Real Madrid looming, the former LOSC player will perform an XXL performance, in the final against the enemy Arsenal. A meeting won by the Blues (4-1). A double and an assist for the maestro, who leaves the team led by Maurizio Sarri with a new coronation in the Europa League. The second for Hazard, in as many participations in the competition under the blue tunic. Legendary.
A romantic of the game, sometimes frustrating
There is no point in retracing the career of Eden Hazard without addressing his catastrophic time at Real Madrid. But the Belgian may have suffered the consequences of professionalism that was far from impeccable. If the native of La Louvière has never been talked about badly, apart from his clash in January 2013 with a ball boy who did not want to give him the ball, the former captain of the Devils undoubtedly missed him Red this ambition and this mentality necessary to join the greatest. Eden is a bon vivant. Chelsea were used to seeing him come back in the summer with a few extra kilos, but at 30, that no longer works, especially at Real Madrid. In the Champions League, the Belgian also showed some limits when he had to take Chelsea further than in the 1/2 final. Even if his team was not the most talented and was never really cut out for the C1. “When I often talk to Eden Hazard, I take the example of Ronaldinho who was the best player in the world or the best player of all time because he was incredibly strong. But only, a player who doesn’t train every day, after a given time, it pays off in cash. You can be Ronaldinho or Messi, if you don’t train, after two years, you’ll be forgotten. Football is going so fast that there will be another kid born who will be even stronger.”recounted Samuel Eto’o who had already been right about beIN Sport in 2014, long before the left winger ended his career in Madrid.
View this post on Instagram
Hazard lacked this desire, this rage, this motivation to go from one of the best wingers, dribblers and creators of the 21st century to one of the best players in history, period. He is not the only one, and will not be the last, to experience the end of his career decimated by injuries and irregularity. Ronaldinho was there, but won a Ballon d’Or, as well as the World Cup. Neymar is also one of the eternal players that the world would have liked to see go even higher. But perhaps that’s also the beauty of sport. Highs and lows. Eden Hazard has marked the recent history of football, Lille, Chelsea, his country, Belgium, by bringing this small nation by the size to a World Cup podium, in 2018. Individual distinctions, he had: 2x best prospect, 2x best player and Ligue 1 champion with LOSC; 1x best young player of the year, 1x best player and several times in the XI-type of the year with Chelsea. Not to mention 1 French champion title with 1 Coupe de France for Lille, 2 English championship titles, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup and 2 Europa League for the Blues, or even 2 Spanish champion trophies, 1 Copa del Rey, 2 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Champions League, 1 UEFA Super Cup and finally 1 Club World Cup with Real Madrid, despite the bitter taste and an importance in these coronations to put into perspective. Could Eden Hazard have done better? Yes surely. Is he yet another wasted talent? Why not, according to some. What is certain is that the Belgian put his country on the map, lit up the north of France with his powerful strikes, won a Chelsea who were not very bling-bling at that time with his dribbles in order to enter, forever, in the hearts of football lovers.
