When he hung up his boots at the beginning of October, Eden Hazard said he “does not miss playing football.” Following his release from Real Madrid earlier in the summer, the Belgian made an appearance on the red carpet at Monday night’s 2023 Ballon d’Or presentation. He also spoke about what life was like post his retirement from football too.
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Eden Hazard speaks on life post retirement
The 32-year-old talked about life after retirement. He has also acknowledged that he has been spending time with his family after previously acknowledging that he “was no longer having fun on the pitch.”
When asked by TNT Sports how he was enjoying life after football, he said, ‘It’s perfect. It’s perfect. I’m enjoying life and family in the kids. I can do what I want and it’s a perfect life.’
Eden Hazard’s contract with Real Madrid was canceled after just 76 appearances for Los Blancos, leaving him without a club. According to reports, the former Chelsea player was thinking of joining his brother at RWD Molenbeek in the Belgian Pro League. In the end, he opted to retire from football all together.
When asked whether he still watched football, he said, ‘Of course. I have kids. They play football. I watch it on TV when I can. I do other things also but at the moment I don’t miss playing football. Let’s see in a few months.’
The ex-Chelsea winger scored 110 goals in 352 games for Chelsea. Eden Hazard finished 8th in his Ballon d’Or rankings, which was his highest in 2015.
Hazard’s words when he retired
After deciding to retire from international football in, Eden Hazard explained his decision behind the same. He said, ‘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. I was able to realise my dream, I have played and had fun on many pitches around the world. Thank you to everyone for these great times, I will miss you all.’
Hazard added, ‘A special thank you to my family, my friends, my advisors and the people who have been close to me in good times and bad. Finally, a huge thank you to you, my fans, who have followed me for all these years and for your encouragement everywhere I have played. Now is the time to enjoy my loved ones and have new experiences. See you off the field soon my friends.’
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Now, speaking about the same for the first time since retirement, Eden Hazard said, ‘I had always said that I would stop as soon as I didn’t have fun on the pitch anymore. I didn’t want to go and play somewhere for the money. It was the best solution. I didn’t enjoy training anymore… And I wasn’t playing anymore. The decision was simple.’
He continued, ‘In life, you can’t explain everything. I am at peace with myself. I’m happy. I have so many things to do outside of football that I was able to make a serene choice.’
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