Chelsea legend set to RETIRE after latest transfer development
Tom Hancock
- 29 Aug 2023 11:33 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea icon Eden Hazard could hang up his boots at the age of 32, following his departure from Real Madrid.
Hazard has been without a club since leaving Real as a free agent at the end of last season, and retirement seems a very real possibility for the Belgian.
That’s despite the former Lille man appearing to have no shortage of suitors – as one would probably expect given his quality, even if he is well past his peak by now.
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According to Get French Football News, Hazard intends to call time on his playing days, having been linked with MLS outfit Vancouver Whitecaps and clubs from the Saudi Pro League – where his ex-Real teammate Karim Benzema now plies his trade for Al-Ittihad.
In truth, Hazard’s career has stagnated since his move to the Bernabeu, where he arrived in a €115m switch from Chelsea four years ago.
The winger struggled for fitness and form in his time with Los Blancos, making only 76 appearances – and scoring just seven goals.
It was a stark contrast to his dazzling seven-year spell at Stamford Bridge, during which he helped Chelsea win two Premier League titles.
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The end of a great career?
Hazard was regarded as one of the hottest properties in world football when he joined Chelsea from Lille back in 2012 – and he went on to live up to that tag with the Blues, notching 110 goals in 352 games.
And it’s fair to say there were some true stunners among those 110 strikes – but surely none more notable than his incredible solo effort against Arsenal in 2017, one of the great Premier League goals.
At international level, he earned 126 caps for Belgium – finding the net 33 times – and represented them at five major tournaments.
