Eden Hazard will leave Real Madrid a year earlier after struggling to breath life into his career at the club.
Despite a difficult campaign with the La Liga and European giants, Eden Hazard was hopeful of seeing off his five-year contract with the club.
After a meeting with the club’s hierachy, the Belgian attacking midfielder reportedly waved his ordeal at Santiago Bernabeu to finish the last 12 months remaining in his contract.
Now, Real Madrid have confirmed they had reached a mutual agreement with Hazard to end his contract.
A statement on the club’s website, confirming the new development reads;
“Real Madrid CF and Eden Hazard have reached an agreement whereby the player will be released from the club as of June 30, 2023.”
After a brilliant Premier League campaign with Chelsea, Eden Hazard joined Real Madrid in 2019, signing a five-year contract.
Then, the Belgian midfield wizard was one of the most exciting talents in Europe with interests from top clubs.
His legwork, dribbling skills, speed, positioning, and attacking flair set Hazard apart from regular midfielders.
Eden Hazard hit the peaks of his club career at Lille in France where he had his first stint n club football. In 190 appearances for the club, he bagged 50 goals.
He was the first French Ligue 1 player to win the French Ligue 1 player of the year two times consecutively. He won the French Ligue 1 and the French Cup double with the club.
In 2012, Eden Hazard joined Chelsea for £32million. In his debut season with the Blues, Hazard won the Europa League.
In his second season, he won the PFA Player of the Season. He also won the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Premier League title with the club, including several individual awards.
In his seven-year stint with Chelsea, Eden Hazard scored 85 goals in 245 appearances for the club.
Eden Hazard’s Real Madrid stats
Eden Hazard’s brilliant career in France and England is a stark contrast to his career with Real Madrid in Spain. Hazard joined Real Madrid as the club’s most expensive player in 2019. The La Liga giants forked out €100m with add-ons rising up to €146.1m. With his creativity and promising stats at Lille and Chelsea, Hazard was primed for a prolific career at Santiago Bernabeu.
He was made the club’s highest-paid player, earning a weekly wage of £400,000 – a record weekly wage bill for top players in Europe.
Hazard made his debut for Real Madrid in a 3-2 La Liga win over Levante in the 2019/20 season.
His first goal for the club came in his first home league appearance against Granada.
Hazard had hope for a glittering career at Santiago Bernabeu, but having scored just seven goals in four years for the club, it is obvious he has had a disastrous stint at the club.
Eden Hazard’s Real Madrid struggles started on November 26, 2019 when he suffered a career-denting injury in Real Madrid’s Champions League clash against PSG.
Following the injury, he was ruled out of 16 matches. He later recovered and was back to action with the Los Blancos but began to face competition from Brazil fast-rising youngster Vinicius Jr since last season due to a niggling ankle and harmstring issues frequently returning him to the sidelines.
Hazard has missed a total of 78 games for Real Madrid due to injuries throughout his four-year spell with the club.
He ended up on the peripheries of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad with Vinicius Jr stealing the show and starting regularly ahead of the Belgian.
This season, Eden Hazard has made only 6 La Liga appearances for Real Madrid. Throughout his stay at the club, Hazard has made 70 appearances for the club, scoring 12 goals in all competitions.
He has won eight titles with the club – 2 La Liga titles, 1 Copa Del Rey, 2 Spanish Super Cup, 1 Champions League and 1 FIFA World Club Cup.
What is next for Eden Hazard?
According to the Athletic, Eden Hazard may likely retire after his disastrous campaign with Real Madrid. He was linked to a move to Saudi Arabia amidst his struggles in La Liga.
