Belgian star Eden Hazard is set to contemplate the status of his career as a professional footballer this summer after reports confirm that the 32-year-old forward is set to leave global juggernaut Real Madrid.
The Spanish giants agreed to mutually terminate the former Chelsea star’s contract by mutual consent one year before his term sheet at the Santiago Bernabeu was set to expire organically, allowing the club to shave off a chunk of their wage bill and better target reinforcements during the summer transfer window.
Born in the Wallonian city of La Louvière, Hazard was once considered to be one of the game’s top players after his meteoric rise saw him go from LOSC Lille wonderkid to Chelsea star man across eleven-combined seasons in France and England, which prompted Madrid to make a move for the player in the summer of 2019 after he developed into one of the faces of Belgium’s golden generation.
But immediately upon his arrival, Hazard faced one frustration after the next due to a failure to adapt to life at the club while also suffering a litany of injury concerns as well as a massive decline in his level of fitness during his four seasons in Madrid.
Despite bagging 110 goals and 92 assists in 352 appearances for Chelsea, as well as 50 goals and 53 assists in 194 appearances for Lille, Hazard’s time with Madrid paled in comparison to his previous stints, with just 7 goals and 12 assists in 76 appearances offering a paltry return for the €100 million fee paid and a reported wage packet of £400k-per-week.
Now thought to be considering full retirement from football despite only being 32, it is difficult to see where the Belgian international, who was capped 126 times for his country, would be able to land in order to extend his career.
