12 Interesting Facts About Eden Hazard As He Retires From Football

After a prolonged struggle with fitness issues especially after leaving Chelsea for Real Madrid in 2019, Eden Hazard finally announced his retirement from professional football on October 10, 2023.

It was not a surprise that Eden Hazard decided to retire at age 32, a good age to still be playing at a top club based on the enormous talent he is known with.

Recall that injury issues kept him out of Real Madrid’s first eleven for over two seasons and had to be released at the start of this season.

Despite how talented he is, no club was tempted enough to sign him as a free agent due to his fitness issues, hence, he had to retire after 16 years in the game.

Below are 12 facts about Eden Hazard:

1. Both his mother Carine and his father Thierry played football. For most of his semi-professional career, his father primarily played as a defensive midfielder for La Louvière in the Belgian Second Division.

2. Hazard began his football career at the age of four by joining his hometown club Royal Stade Brainois. He worked for the team for eight years before moving on to AFC Tubize. He joined Lille in 2005.

3. After seven years at Lille, Hazard joined Chelsea on July 1, 2012, and then moved to Real Madrid on July 1, 2019. He was voted Belgium’s captain in 2015 and retired from the national team in 2022.

4. Ethan Hazard (R Union Tubize-Braine U21), Kylian Hazard (RWD Molenbeek), and Thorgan Hazard (RSC Anderlecht) are Eden Hazard’s brothers.

5. Eden Hazard scored 33 goals and provided 36 assists in 123 games for the Belgium national team.

6. Hazard played 352 times for Chelsea, scoring 110 goals and providing 92 assists.

7. Hazard made 50 goals and 53 assists in 194 games for Lille.

8. In 72 games with Real Madrid, Hazard scored 7 goals and provided 11 assists.

9. Hazard won the 2015 Footballer of the Year award in England.

10. He has received three Player of the Year awards (once from Chelsea and twice from Lille).

11. Hazard has won the Champions League (2011–2012 Real Madrid) and the FIFA Club World Cup (2023, Real Madrid). He also triumphed in the Europa League twice in 2013 and 2019 at Chelsea.

12. Eden Hazard won a total of five league titles in the three major leagues he played in, two in England (2014-2015, 2016-2017 at Chelsea), two in Spain (21/22 and 19/20 at Real Madrid), and one in France (10/11 at LOSC Lille).