Eden Hazard ends his career at the age of 32: Would there have been more for the noble technician?

Messi or Hazard? England international soccer player Lauren James recently gave a surprising answer to the question on Sky Sports. The 22-year-old mentioned the Belgian’s name without hesitation before making the crucial caveat: “In his prime.”

“I hope that the fans won’t forget me when I leave one day,” Hazard told Onze Mondial in 2017.

That day came in the summer of 2019 when the Belgian succumbed to Real Madrid’s wooing. The variable outside player was at the top of his game and had statistically the best season in the blue jersey with 21 goals and 17 assists.

Hazard was by no means forgotten in London, as he was one of the biggest attractions in European football there. Whenever he got the ball, the expectation of something special was always in the air. He was one of those professionals that spectators came to the stadium to see. His dribbling and speed runs on the wings will never be forgotten, and many of his world-class goals and assists.

“The people who love football in this country must love Eden,” enthused José Mourinho, his coach at Chelsea at the time. “An extraordinary player, one of the best in the world,” said Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola.

And Hazard also shone in the national team, for which he appeared 126 times. At the 2018 World Cup, he captained the Red Devils to the semi-finals and third place. After the tournament he was awarded the silver ball as the second best player after Luka Modric.

That was the height at which Hazard came to Real Madrid – and actually fell. In the Royal cosmos, the star of the superstar, who was given the legendary number seven, noticeably faded. Criticism of his performance was met with dissatisfaction with the fact that the Belgian appeared fuller and not well-trained in his early days.

Hazard also didn’t like the departure of coach Zinédine Zidane, who left his post in 2021. “I’m very disappointed. This is a big loss for the club. I’m grateful to him for everything he did for me. Even though I wasn’t able to show more under him, I hope to be able to join him again on or off the pitch meet,” Hazard said at the time.

The main reason why Hazard was so rarely able to exploit his outstanding abilities in Spain was physical.

Hazard missed the first games of the season at Real due to a thigh injury. In the years that followed, one injury followed the next, and the winger made a total of 54 league appearances for Madrid in four seasons. “At Chelsea I played hundreds of games without injuries. Now in Madrid all these injuries are occurring. It’s something I can’t explain,” said Hazard.

A development that Mourinho saw coming. “The way he is being bullied, game after game, by the opponents and not protected by the referees, perhaps one day we will no longer have Eden.”

“You have to listen to yourself and stop at the right time,” the veteran wrote on Instagram, leaving room for interpretation, which ultimately led to the end of his career.

It’s a decision that leaves an aftertaste. Shouldn’t Hazard have made more of his career given his exceptional abilities? You have to answer the question with a yes. And was there really no suitable option in Europe after Real didn’t extend the contract that expired on June 30th? Probably not.

One option would have been to follow the call of money and work in Saudi Arabia for another year or two. Such rumors kept coming up. It is an honor for Hazard that he has set other priorities – his family – and has now ended his career. It’s just a shame for football that it hasn’t been able to show its great skills in recent years.