The forward returned to Stamford Bridge this weekend playing alongside fellow Chelsea legends in a charity match.
Chelsea legend Eden Hazard has admitted that he “misses playing football”, two years on from his retirement from the sport.
The Belgium international spent the longest period of his career at Chelsea, playing 352 times between 2012 and 2019. In that time, he scored 110 goals and provided a further 88 assists.
Six years after leaving the club, Hazard returned to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, where he featured for the Chelsea legends against Liverpool Legends. All proceeds from the match will be donated to the Chelsea FC Foundation and the Chelsea Players’ Trust.
He was joined on the pitch by the likes of John Terry, Diego Costa, and Claude Makelele.
The game ended in a 1-0 defeat for Chelsea legends. Ryan Babel’s 78th minute goal was the difference between the two sides on the day. Hazard did show flashes of what he could do, but was denied a goal by the Liverpool goalkeeper.
Meanwhile, Costa made his presence felt as he got into an almost trademark clash with Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel, with temperatures rising during the ‘friendly’ game.
At half time of the match, Hazard gave an interview where he outlined his feelings after retiring.
“I miss playing football,” he said. “I miss playing football in the big stadiums like today.
“But I play in the garden with my kids. I have five boys, they are all Chelsea fans.”
Hazard’s final appearance as a Chelsea player before he completed a £100 million move to Real Madrid in 2019 was the Europa League final. He scored a brace as the Blues came out as 4-1 winners over Arsenal.
After moving on from the club, he struggled to find his feet at Real Madrid. Injuries and fitness issues saw him make just 76 appearances in four years for Los Blancos before leaving in 2023.
The now 34-year-old was without a club for a few months before announcing his retirement from football in October 2023.
His impact at Chelsea is still being felt now, with summer signing Alejandro Garnacho admitting that Hazard is the reason that he is a Chelsea fan.
“I loved Eden Hazard. Eden was one of my idols and a big reason why I watched and supported Chelsea a bit when I was younger,” he told the club’s website. “He was such an incredible player, playing in the same position that I wanted to, coming inside, scoring goals – he was crazy good.”
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