Eden Hazard retires from football at 32

By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp

Belgian forward Eden Hazard on Tuesday announced his retirement from football at the age of 32.

"You must listen to yourself and say stop at the right time. After 16 years and more than 700 matches played, I have decided to end my career as a professional footballer," Hazard said on Instagram.

"I was able to realize my dream, I have played and had fun on many pitches around the world. During my career I was lucky to meet great managers, coaches and teammates - thank you to everyone for these great times, I will miss you all," he added.

Hazard also thanked his former clubs – Lille, Chelsea, and Real Madrid.

Hazard, who bagged the 2011 French Ligue 1 title with his childhood club Lille, moved to English Premier League side Chelsea in 2012.

He clinched two UEFA Europa League trophies (2013, 2019), two Premier League titles (2015, 2017) and one FA Cup (2018) with the Blues.

After his move to Spanish La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid in 2019, he bagged the 2022 UEFA Champions League and 2023 FIFA Club World Cup along with two La Liga titles in 2020 and 2022.

Hazard also tallied 33 goals in 126 appearances for Belgium.