Eden Hazard had a hugely forgettable stint at Real Madrid after spending seven years with Chelsea as the Belgian icon apologised for how his tenure in Spain turned out
Eden Hazard is set to make his return to Chelsea almost three years after he offered an apology for his disappointing Real Madrid career. The 34-year-old, who retired from football in October 2023, will once again grace the pitch of Stamford Bridge on Saturday when Chelsea Legends take on Liverpool FC Legends.
All proceeds from the match will go to the Chelsea FC Foundation and the Chelsea Players’ Trust with Hazard set to reunite with former team-mates such as John Terry, Petr Cech, Diego Costa, Ramires and John Mikel Obi.
Fellow Blues icons like Gianfranco Zola, Claude Makelele, Marcel Desailly and many more will also return to west London for the match. It was at Chelsea where Hazard established himself as one of the best players of his generation in what was a trophy-laden seven years with the Premier League giants.
Hazard’s last game as a Chelsea player was fitting as he lifted the Europa League trophy in 2019 following the Blues’ 4-1 victory over Arsenal in the final. It was just a week later that his £100million move to Madrid was announced by the Spanish giants.
Despite the fanfare surrounding the arrival of one of the world’s best players at the time, Hazard never got going in Spain with constant injuries and a lack of fitness preventing him from making an impact.
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In four years with Madrid, he made a mere 76 appearances with just seven goals to his name. With both parties eager to end their partnership, Madrid and Hazard agreed to terminate his contract in June 2023 – one year before his contract was due to expire.
It was three years during his stint in Spain’s capital that he pledged to show what he can do on the pitch but apologised to the club’s fans on how disappointing he’d been since his arrival.
Speaking to Marca, Hazard said at the time: “I have one more year and I have to show [what I can do] but it isn’t easy. I’m not playing, I want to play more. I’m really sorry about what has happened.”
When asked to grade himself since becoming Madrid’s latest Galactico, Hazard was brutally honest in his response as he said: “[I’d give myself] a zero in terms of playing, because I haven’t played. But a 10 in terms of how I feel in this moment with the team. I’m not playing, but being a Real Madrid player was my dream as a kid. I want to play for this club.”
Seven months after leaving Madrid, Hazard detailed the sheer pressure that comes with representing the club and lamented his lack of luck when it came to injuries. In an interview with L’Equipe, the Belgian great explained: “I’ve been a Zinedine Zidane fan since I was a child. The Bernabeu, the white kit… it has a charm that others don’t have.
“Real Madrid is special. Beyond that, I don’t think that I fit in. It’s not like me. It’s a bit of a ‘swaggering’ club, and I’m not like that. I also didn’t like the way we played if you compare it to other clubs. But, it was my dream. I couldn’t finish my career without coming here.
“I would’ve liked to do things my way and succeed. It shows that Real Madrid is bigger than anything else. It’s complicated to play there. Maybe I needed to train more. I also had the worst injuries at the worst times.
“The operation, the plate… I’m coming back, [and] it hurts, I’m sore. In the second season, Ancelotti arrives. I had good preparation, I play well, but my body, the pain, the injuries…”
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
