Opinion: Hazard, who retired at 32, ushered in a generation in football

Just as quickly he became one of the great names in European football. eden hazard He experienced setbacks at the highest level of football.

The Belgian’s trajectory shows that longevity is more difficult than reaching the top, and is a perfect example of how Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have achieved greatness in the world of football. It will be. Although it didn’t last as long as expected, Hazard achieved the feat of establishing himself as one of the great players of the past decade at a time when the Argentine and Portuguese were enjoying their best years.

The 32-year-old Belgian has brought an end to a completely intense career that lacked sparkle since 2019, when he moved at the age of 28. real madrid. He appeared in just 76 games (44 starts) over four seasons in a team uniform. meringuehe recorded seven goals and nine assists, a very low performance for a player who was brought in for a transfer fee of 115 million euros and was expected to replace Cristiano Ronaldo.

I don’t even have a champion medal. champions league The 2020/21 season (he only made three substitute appearances and was a full support player in the competition) eased the frustrations of his time at the Santiago Bernabéu. It made a lot of sense at the time, and ended up being one of the biggest hires. ”flop“(Probably) the best in Real’s history.

Injuries and fitness issues in recent years have meant that one of the great virtues of Hazard’s game – his explosiveness – has suffered. That is why Carlo Ancelotti tested him as a centre-forward when he could not rely on Karim Benzema. Furthermore, Vinicius Junior will depart at the same time as the Belgian’s arrival, taking over his most visible position in the Brazil national team uniform. chelsea.

The combination of these factors ultimately culminated in Hazard’s impressive fall. He will retire this Tuesday (10)It’s been over 3 months since I quit the club.

However, although the last image is negative, it would be unfair to put this as the main portrait of the striker’s career, who enjoyed a great decade of football between 2010 and 2019.

Hazard won the French Championship and the French Cup in 2010/11, was named the league’s best player, and also won the individual award in 2011/12 before moving to Chelsea.

In London, he won two league titles and became a hero and a club legend. Premier League And one of them was the best player of the tournament (2014/15). Not to mention the FA Cup, League Cup, two editions. europe league In over 350 matches and over 100 goals, Blues.

All this has been achieved through an attractive playing style with almost unique talent, excellent technical ability to dribble past opponents and dictate play, and an explosive power that makes him extremely difficult to stop. It had both.

for Belgiumwas one of the pillars of a generation that had high expectations and excelled even if he didn’t win any trophies. World Cup 3rd place in 2018. It is difficult to talk about the main players of the national team during this period, but the winger was the main character of this group’s best moments.

Although Hazard left the top flight early, he remained there long enough to retire as one of the great players of the past decade in world football, a Lille and Chelsea legend and one of the main characters. Belgium’s selection of football’s greatest generations.

The melancholy ending does not define the greatness of his career in professional football.

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