Eden Hazard, who became Real Madrid’s most expensive signing, never lived up to the hype. The Belgian winger, who joined from Chelsea with high hopes, terminated his contract over a year ago with one season left, and subsequently retired from professional soccer at the age of 32.

Hazard’s stint at Real Madrid saw him score just seven goals and provide three assists in 76 official matches—a stark contrast to his stellar performances for Chelsea and the Belgian national team.

Carlo Ancelotti explains the reasons behind Hazard’s failure

Carlo Ancelotti delved into the reasons behind Hazard’s struggles during his appearance on “The Obi One Podcast.” Asked by former Chelsea midfielder Obi Mikel about Hazard’s spell at Real Madrid, Ancelotti responded candidly.

“Eden is a fantastic guy. He was really enthusiastic and had a good relationship with everyone,” Ancelotti began. “I think the problem was injuries, of course, but also the fact that he had a hard time being in competition. He didn’t like to train. We knew this. But listen, when you play every three days, it’s not important to train intensely. You are not able to train at a high intensity. In fact, when you have to train with intensity, it’s when you’re not playing.”

Ancelotti continued, “At Lille, he played everything. In every game, he was in the eleven. Then he signed for Chelsea and played fantastic, and then he got injured here. When you are at Real Madrid and you have an injury, you have to come back and be competitive with the others. Because if you don’t play, there is someone else who is playing. That’s why I think he had difficulties competing, fighting, and playing.”

Ancelotti’s remarks the challenges faced by top-tier athletes in maintaining their competitive edge amidst injuries and the relentless demands of elite football. For Hazard, these challenges ultimately overshadowed his undeniable talent, leading to a tenure at Real Madrid that fell far short of expectations.

Under the guidance of coach Domenico Tedesco, Belgium faced a must-win situation in their second match to avoid an early exit from the tournament, reminiscent of their disappointing performance in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Belgium bounced back by defeating Romania 2-0 and managed to secure a draw against Ukraine in their final group match, allowing them to advance to the Round of 16 as the second-place team. But why did Tedesco decide to leave Eden Hazard out of the squad?

Eden Hazard out of the match against France

The reason Eden Hazard will not play in the Round of 16 match against France is simple: he retired from professional soccer in October 2023. Hazard first announced his departure from the Belgian national team after their disappointing World Cup run, and then, 10 months later, he hung up his boots for good.

The former Chelsea and Real Madrid star shared his decision on social media, stating: “You have to know how to listen to yourself and say enough is enough at the right time. After 16 years of career and more than 700 games played, I decided to end my career as a professional footballer.”

While Belgium advances without their legendary forward, fans will forever remember Eden Hazard’s contributions and the impact he had on Belgian soccer.

UEFA Euro 2024 is a very challenging test for the Red Devils, who will be in Group E alongside Slovakia, Ukraine, and Romania. In the last edition of UEFA Euro back in 2021, they lost 2-1 to Italy in the quarterfinals.

For this tournament, coach Domenico Tedesco called up many young players in addition to the big stars. But why is Eden Hazard not there?

Eden Hazard out of UEFA Euro 2024

Eden Hazard won’t be part of this UEFA Euro 2024 because he retired from professional soccer on October 10, 2023. He first retired from the national team after Belgium were eliminated at the group stage in Qatar World Cup 2022.

The former Real Madrid player explained the reason for his retirement from professional soccer:

“I always said I would stop playing as soon as I stopped having fun on the field. I didn’t want to go play anywhere for money. I didn’t enjoy training…and I wasn’t playing anymore. The decision was simple.”

However, following his success in England, his time at Real Madrid was disappointing after the legendary club paid $160 million to sign him. Despite his immense potential, Hazard never lived up to expectations, and at various points, his physical condition raised questions about his professionalism.

Now, as a retired player, Eden Hazard granted an interview to L’Equipe in which he was asked if Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo were better footballers than him. The answer was surprising.

“Individually, Messi is perhaps the only one. He is the greatest player in history. Unplayable. Impossible to take the ball from him. He’s just unbelievable.”

Eden Hazard says he was a better player than Cristiano Ronaldo

After acknowledging the greatness of Lionel Messi, Eden Hazard sparked controversy by claiming that he was a better player than other stars of the time, such as Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Cristiano is a bigger player than me, but, in terms of pure football, honestly, I don’t think so. Neymar, perhaps. After that, not stronger than me, but at Real Madrid, you have the best: Benzema, Modric, Kroos…and Kevin De Bruyne breathes football.”

Additionally, Eden Hazard acknowledged that he was never ready for the daily work that Cristiano Ronaldo puts in to maintain an extraordinary physical condition.

“If I had been like Cristiano, he’s the example of a good footballer, there are others, I would have burned myself out. I didn’t go to the gym every three days, I didn’t do three hours of physiotherapy to recover.”

According to reports Hazard, who left Real Madrid in the summer, did not get any offers that really satisfied him, after four injury plagued seasons at Real Madrid, the midfielder thought the best course of action was to retire.

Hazard goes out a true winner, having won 15 titles across three clubs in his career. In total, Hazard played in 623 games, scored 167 goals, and provided 157 assists. Here are five facts about the career of Eden Hazard.

How many clubs did Eden Hazard play for?

Eden Hazard played for only three clubs in his 16-year career, they were Lille in France, Chelsea in England, and Real Madrid in Spain. Surprisingly despite being from Belgium he never played for a Belgian club, instead began his career in France due to the fact that the French club convinced his parents that Lille was the right choice for their son.

At Lille, Hazard played five seasons winning two titles. At Chelsea, the best of Hazard, he spent seven seasons playing in 352 matches and scoring 110 goals and winning six titles. Then at Real Madrid, where he never completed even half a season, the 32-year-old was there for four seasons and was basically a spectator for his seven titles at the club.

How many World Cups did Hazard play in?

One of the main pieces of Belgium’s “Golden Generation”, Hazard played in three World Cup’s, 2014, 2018, and 2022. Hazard scored three World Cup goals all in 2018 and would go on to score 33 goals for Belgium in 126 caps. Hazard led Belgium to a third-place finish in 2018.

Hazard at Chelsea

The best of Hazard was at Chelsea where he was one of the best players in the Premier League at the time. In the 2014/15 campaign, which Chelsea won, Hazard played all 38 games scoring 14 goals and had 19 in 52 games across all competitions.

Real Madrid woes

Hazard’s move to Real Madrid was record setting, being transferred from Chelsea for well over $100 million. Sadly, injuries and coaching choices relegated him to just 76 games in four seasons. Hazard never wanted to leave Madrid as a way to try and break through but eventually the club managers had moved on from the talented midfielder whose best season was 2020/21 where Hazard made 14 appearances and scored 3 LaLiga goals.

Awards

Hazard was Chelsea player of the year in 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2019. He was also the Belgium player of the year in 2017. Hazard was also Ligue 1 player of the year twice.

Therefore, playing for the Merengues is the ultimate dream for many players. However, not everyone who makes it to the Santiago Bernabeu leaves their mark in this historic club.

Just like many make a name for themselves in the Spanish capital, others fail to impress with this uniform. In fact, a player saw his market value drop by $155 million during his time in Madrid.

Eden Hazard’s worth plummets $155m in four years

Eden Hazard‘s market value went downhill in his four-year tenure at Real Madrid. According to Transfermarkt, the Belgian star was worth $160 million when he joined Los Blancos from Chelsea in the summer of 2019, whereas his current value is $5m.

The latest update was made in June 2023, when the 32-year-old was still in Madrid. Hazard is currently a free agent, and it’s still uncertain what his next club will be.

How much have Real Madrid paid for Eden Hazard?

Real Madrid forked out $122 million to acquire Eden Hazard from Chelsea in the summer of 2019.

Mariano Diaz is the second player that will be let go by Carlo Ancelotti; the Whites have now confirmed his exit on a free transfer at the conclusion of the season. Despite being re-signed after a stellar 2017-18 season at Lyon, his time back in the Spanish capital has not gone as planned or anticipated.

Meanwhile, Karim Benzema is reportedly seriously contemplating a transfer to Saudi Arabia after getting a tempting offer of €150 million per year from Al-Ittihad. Not long ago, he was on the verge of extending his contract at Santiago Bernabeu, but things look to have shifted.

Who is the next player that will leave Real Madrid?

It has been confirmed that Eden Hazard will follow them out of Real Madrid. The Athletic had previously reported citing sources inside the club’s Valdebebas training facility and among the player’s entourage.

El Partidazo de COPE had added that the home of the Belgian ace is already on the market, as the necessary steps have been taken by Real Madrid to terminate his contract.

Just moments later, the La Liga giants issued a public statement confirming the news. “Real Madrid C. F. and Eden Hazard have reached an agreement by which the player is disassociated from the club as of June 30, 2023”, it said.

The next day, on Sunday, when his side play Athletic Club in the last La Liga game of the season, the 31-year-old winger will play his final game at the Santiago Bernabeu. The former Chelsea star has not decided whether or not to retire at this time, although The Athletic add that the possibility exists.

He came from a fantastic performance in the 2018 World Cup, followed by a sensational season with the Blues. However, Hazard has been nothing but a shell of himself since he moved to the Spanish capital.

This season, Carlo Ancelottiused him in justseven games. A group of journalists working for Belgian TV channel Eleven Sports recently traveled to Madrid to make a report on Hazard’s situation, interviewing different members of the squad. Toni Kroos spoke about Hazard’s situation, explaining why he doesn’t feel sorry for his teammate.

Toni Kroos gets brutally honest onEden Hazard’s situation

“Of course it is a difficult situation, but there is no place for compassion in football,” Kroos said, as quoted by As. “I don’t think Eden has a bad life. It’s not about money, it’s just that I don’t feel pity for anyone in the world of football.

“At the end of the day, everyone is partly responsible for their situation. I know Eden very well, we spend a lot of time together. But I only feel for those who really do have a lot of problems, which is not the case with Eden“.

Kroos certainly has a fair point, even if it sounds strange to hear someone making those kinds of comments about a teammate. Hazard has so far left a lot to be desired in Madrid, and with his contract expiring in 2024, he’s running out of time to change the narrative.

Therefore, the Merengues do not hesitate when it comes to making changes on their squad. No matter how untouchable a player might look, no one is more important than the club. Casemiro was a pivotal player in the middle of the park, yet Madrid didn’t have a problem in selling him this season.

Though their current roster looks just fine, Los Blancos would continue to look for ways to improve it even more. With English sensation Jude Bellingham as a top target, Real Madrid would be open to offloading two of their most expensive salaries.

Report: Real Madrid to part with two stars to go after Jude Bellingham

According to journalist Ramon Alvarez de Mon, Al-Nassr are interested in havingLuka Modric and Eden Hazard as Cristiano Ronaldo‘s teammates at the Saudi Arabian club. Real Madrid, meanwhile, would actually like the idea.

Spanish outlet Sport reports that by parting with Modric and Hazard, theLaLiga powerhouse would offload two massive salaries that would give them enough space to offer Bellingham a lucrative contract.

Modric, 37, may still be one of the best midfielders on Earth but he’s not getting any younger. His contract with Madrid is up in the summer, and after winning it all with the club, the board may consider this is the right time to part ways.

As for Hazard, the team has reportedly been looking to move on from him for a while. The Belgian star has never lived up to the expectations at the Santiago Bernabeu, so after many years, the club might be ready to move on.

By offloading both Modric and Hazard’s contract, Real Madrid’s salary cap would see a €47 million reduction. Modric reportedly makes €18m after taxes per season, while Hazard earns €29m.

Injuries have been a key reason why Hazard has never really taken off at Real Madrid but with the club very much cemented as to which players they see as their future; Hazard’s time looks up. Despite trying to make it work and staying during his difficult patches, Real Madrid is looking elsewhere to lead the team.

According to MediaFoot, if Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhailo Mudryk move to Arsenal does not materialize then the Gunners would target Eden Hazard. Still only 32, Hazard could still be a welcomed addition to any Premier League club.

Eden Hazard to Arsenal?

Eden Hazard has interest from a yet identified Major League Soccer club as well as Al- Nassr which is home to Cristiano Ronaldo. Fenerbahce is also interested in rekindling Hazard’s career.

Hazard’s best days were with Chelsea where he scored 110 goals in 352 games winning six championships at the club. Hazard and Chelsea have since not been able to replicate such commanding performances.

Hazard was the captain of the ill-fated Belgium squad that was eliminated in the first round at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and has recently retired from international competition.

The disappointing tournament resulted in Roberto Martinez resigning from the national team and a bitter pill to swallow for a national team that had big hopes in Qatar 2022. One of the main stars of Belgium, Real Madrid star Eden Hazard has announced his retirement from the national side as a result.

At 31 and after battling a lot of injuries Eden Hazard has decided to step aside and posted on Instagram his heart felt goodbye to the Red Devils.

Eden Hazard retires from Belgium National Team

On Instagram Hazard wrote, “Thank you for your unparalleled support… Thank you for all this happiness shared since 2008. I have decided to put an end to my international career. The succession is ready. I will miss you.”

Hazard began his national team career in 2008 and played a total of 126 games and scored 33 goals. While never winning a major piece of silverware with Belgium, the program reached excellent heights, placing third in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Hazard will now concentrate on his Real Madrid career where he has been playing since 2019. This season Hazard has only made 6 appearances with 1 goal. Hazard has only been reduced to 72 matches in 4 seasons, mostly due to injury and being second choice, despite that the Belgium star has stick it out intended to making it work at Real Madrid.