Eden Hazard, who was once called the best crack in the Premier League but fell into decline after joining Real Madrid, eventually announced his retirement from active duty.안전놀이터

Hazard is a Chelsea legend. He led Chelsea’s attack for seven years from 2012 to 2019 and was loved by fans for his dedication to the team. Although he is not physically outstanding, his solid physical balance, speed, concise dribbling, and finishing ability have made his abilities as a ‘crack’ stand out and made him considered the next Ballon d’Or candidate following Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The start of my career was in France. He made his senior debut at a young age in the 2007-08 season and quickly established himself. He established himself as a starter the following year and began bombing the league from then on. In the 2011-12 season, he scored 20 goals and 18 assists in the league alone, showing that the French stage is narrow for him.

So he left France and headed to Chelsea. Hazard was 21 years old at the time. Although he was only a promising player, he took on the ‘important responsibility’ of erasing Didier Drogba’s nostalgia.

This was successful. Hazard, who has established himself as a starter since the first year of his transfer, has appeared in almost all competitions, including the league, the UEFA Champions League (UCL) and UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup. Hazard, who boasted tremendous stamina by playing more than 60 games in total, became the leader of the attack, scoring 12 goals and 24 assists.

What happened after that was incredible. He has become a ‘legend’ that surpasses Drogba. Except for the 2015-16 season, which was difficult for the team as a whole, the team has scored double-digit league goals every season. His career results at Chelsea include 110 goals and 92 assists in 352 games. It was enormous.

Then he left Chelsea in the 2019-20 season. Real Madrid, which let go of Ronaldo, was looking for his replacement and chose Hazard as the right candidate. Hazard, who wanted a new challenge, also responded to Real’s interest. Chelsea did not want to sell Hazard, but they could not stop the player’s willingness to move and the huge transfer fee. Chelsea fans could not hide their disappointment, but they happily let him go.

So Hazard arrived at Real Madrid with high expectations. The astronomical amount of 115 million euros (approximately 164.9 billion won) did not seem expensive at all considering Hazard’s value and performance.

However, at Real Madrid, Hazard became a complete ‘scam’. The dominant form he showed during his time at Chelsea was nowhere to be seen. He was a steel king at Chelsea, but suffered from injuries every season at Real Madrid. His performance itself wasn’t good either. In this way, Hazard became a free agent, leaving only a shabby record of 7 goals and 12 assists in 76 games at Real.

Hazard becomes a free agent. Many clubs approached him. Crystal Palace of the English Premier League (EPL), France’s Olympique Marseille, OGC Nice, and LOSC Lille wanted to sign Hazard.

However, Hazard rejected all offers. French media ‘Foot Mercato’ said, “Several clubs offered to sign Hazard to his agent, including Marseille, Nice, and Lille. But Hazard refused them all. His wish is to stop everything and retire.” “The agent is trying to persuade the player to continue his career,” he said.

Eventually, Hazard announced his retirement from active duty. Hazard said on his social media: “You should listen to yourself telling yourself to stop at the right time. After 16 years and over 700 games, I have decided to end my career as a professional footballer. I have played in many parts of the world. “I was able to make my dream come true. I was fortunate to have met great managers, coaches, and teammates throughout my career. I am grateful to everyone and I will miss you all,” he said.

He added, “I would also like to thank all the clubs I have played for: Lille, Chelsea and Real Madrid, as well as the Belgian national team. I am also grateful to the fans who have encouraged me along the way. Now is the time to enjoy and have new experiences with the people I love.”