Real Madrid and former Chelsea star Eden Hazard has announced his retirement from international football.
Hazard took to his Instagram handle to announce the shocking decision to hang his boots after a disappointing outing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
This means that he will not play a part in Belgium’s 2024 European Championships qualification games and will not feature in the 2026 World Cup.
The news of his retirement is coming days after Belgium were eliminated from the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He has played for Belgium for 14 years and will now be focusing on his Real Madrid career.
Announcing his retirement earlier today, December 7, 2022, Eden Hazard wrote;
“Thank you for your unparalleled support. Thank you for all the joyful moments we have shared since 2008.
“Today I decided to put an end to my career as an international. The next generation is ready. I’m going to miss you so much.”
According to reports, Hazard had reportedly discussed his desire to retire with his teammates after the team’s finals group game against Croatia.
Since making his debut for the Belgian national team, Eden Hazard has score 33 goals in his 126 appearances for the team.
After Belgium finished third in the 2018 World Cup, the team was expected to put up a better performance going into the 2022 World Cup.
However, the outcome was undesirable as the team suffered a shock group-stage exit after losing to Tunisia. After the game, there was an unrest in the team camp, with some players throwing blame at each other.
It was widely anticipated that the former Chelsea star would hang the boot after the abysmal performance, coupled with his struggles to break into Real Madrid first team.
Born on 7 January 1991 in La Louviere, Eden Hazard is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid. He is famous for his creativity, dribbling, passing, and vision and is considered one of the best players of his generation.
Eden Hazard started his professional football career at Royal Stade Brainois in 1995. He later joined Tubize in 2003 and Lille in 2005, all for his youth career.
Eden Hazard made his first senior appearance with Lille B in 2007, making 13 appearances, and scoring just a goal. He was moved to Lille’s main team in 2007, where he made 147 appearances and scored 36 goals.
After five years with the French Ligue 1 giants, Eden Hazard joined Chelsea in 2012. He made 245 appearances, scoring 85 goals for the Blues.
He is currently playing for Spanish giant Real Madrid since joining the team in 2019. He has made 51 appearances, scoring four goals.
Eden Hazard was called for the Belgian national team in 2008 after scoring at every Junior level of the national team from U15 to U19. He has been capped 126 times, scoring 33 goals.
He has won several trophies across the top European leagues he has plied his trade. Eden Hazard has won the French Ligue 1, Coup de Franc, Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Europa League, La Liga, Supercopa Des Espana, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA World Cup Third Place.
Eden Hazard has won several awards as a player and is one of the most decorated Belgian players of his generation.
