Eden Hazard: Former Chelsea and Real Madrid forward announces retirement from professional football

Eden Hazard has announced his retirement from professional football.

The 32-year-old Belgian had been without a club since he was released by Real Madrid this summer after his contract was terminated.

Hazard emerged as one of the most talented young players in European football as a key part of Lille’s Ligue 1-winning team in 2011.

He was chased by teams across Europe and announced he would be moving to Chelsea, where he was consistently one of their most popular and effective players.

In all, he scored 110 goals in 352 games for the Blues, winning the Premier League twice, as well as two UEFA Europa League titles, and the FA Cup and League Cup once.

His form earned him a move to Real Madrid for a fee reported to be €100m (£86.4m) in 2019, but Hazard struggled with injuries after arriving and never played more than 18 league games for Real in a single season.

He also faced competition for his place from Vinicius Jr for his place as the Brazilian emerged as a key player at the Bernabeu.

Hazard and Real cancelled his contract a year early in the summer, and while he was linked with a number of other clubs, he has instead chosen to retire.

At Real he won La Liga twice, as well as the Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Super Cup.

He also earned 126 caps for Belgium and was part of the team that came third at the 2018 World Cup.

In a statement posted to his Instagram account on Tuesday, Hazard wrote: “You must listen to yourself and say stop at the right time.

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

“I was able to realise my dream, I have played and had fun on many pitches around the world.

“During my career I was lucky to meet great managers, coaches and team-mates - thank you to everyone for these great times, I will miss you all.

“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.”

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