The Belgian announced his retirement from professional football in October 2023 after a forgettable spell at Real Madrid. Before he moved to Madrid in 2019, Eden Hazard was tearing up the English Premier League in a Chelsea shirt which is why Madrid agreed to part with a club-record £130m to sign him in 2019. Unfortunately, he never hit his Chelsea form at Madrid as his time there was riddled with injuries.
The Belgian scored only seven goals in 76 appearances for Real Madrid. He had not completed 90 minutes of football in two years for Real Madrid, only completing 90 minutes of football for Real Madrid six times in four years, the last of which was in December 2021, in a game against Cadiz.
Undoubtedly, the best years of his career were at Chelsea but just how good was he?
The Belgian maestro started his professional career at Ligue 1 club Lille in 2007 at the age of 16 and quickly became an integral part of the team. In his first full season for Lille, he won Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year becoming the first non-French player to win. He became the first player to win the award twice when he won it again in the next season.
He won the league and cup double in the 2010/2011 season and was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year becoming the youngest player to win the award. After 190 appearances and 50 goals for Lille, the Belgian joined Chelsea in 2012 after the West London club had just won the Champions League. His messiesque dribbling and creativity on the ball were on full display as the Belgian immediately began to tear up the Premier League, leaving defenders in the dust. He was ranked by whoscored.com as the best dribbler in 2018 with 14.1 minutes per successful dribble and 80.4% success rate above Messi and Neymar; he was that good. He averaged 6.1 dribbles per game with 83% accuracy in the 2017/2018 Premier League season. He dribbled, scored, created chances, gave important assists, and sometimes carried the team. Hazard at Chelsea was simply a joy to watch and on his best days simply unplayable.
Hazard won the UEFA Europa League in his first season with Chelsea and won the PFA Young Player of the Year in his second. In the 2014/2015 season Hazard won the Football League Cup and the Premier League with Chelsea. His performance that season earned him the FWA Footballer of the Year award and the PFA Players Player of the Year award.
In 2017, he won his second Premier League title with Chelsea, and in 2018, won the FA Cup. He was named in FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11 in 2018. Hazard won his last trophy with Chelsea in 2019, a second Europa League title in which he scored two goals in the final to beat London rivals Arsenal 4-1.
He will go down as a Chelsea legend with 110 goals and 92 assists in 352 appearances for the club. A player who was pivotal in winning the Blues some important trophies. His premier league tally stands at 85 goals and 54 assists in 245 appearances.
On the International stage, Hazard made his senior debut for Belgium in 2008 aged 17. He earned 126 caps for the country and was part of the Belgian golden generation of footballers who reached the quarter-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2016, and Euro 2020.
In the 2018 FIFA World Cup he captained Belgium to a third-place finish; their best finish in history and won the Silver Ball as the second-best player in the tournament. He retired with 33 goals and 36 assists for Belgium; exceptional numbers.
In total, Hazard has a career record of 200 goals and 193 assists in 748 appearances across all competitions for club and country. He won 15 major trophies in his career along with a plethora of individual awards.
Eden Hazard’s trophy collection
1 Ligue 1 trophy (2010/11)
1 Coupe de France (2010/11)
2 Europa League trophies (2012/13 and 2018/19)
1 Carabao Cup (2014/15)
2 Premier League titles (2014/15 and 2016/17)
1 FA Cup (2017/18)
1 Champions League (2021/22)
2 LaLiga titles (2019/20 and 2021/22)
1 Spanish Supercup (2021/22)
1 Copa del Ray (2022/23)
1 UEFA Supercup (2022/23)
1 FIFA Club World Cup (2022/23)
Eden Hazard was an excellent player and one of the best dribblers of his generation. His versatility allowed him to play anywhere in attack from attacking midfield, left-wing forward, right-wing forward, and even as a false 9. In his best season, he outranked Messi and Neymar as the most efficient dribbler in the world. He carried Chelsea and Belgium to historic success and was able to impact a game single-handed. Some say he is the best dribbler in Premier League history. What do you think?