Eden Hazard: The Life Story Behind Belgium's Magician

Eden Hazard played football the way a child plays football in a park: with a smile, with a quick turn, and with a ball that seemed glued to his feet. Defenders knew what he was going to do, and they still could not stop him. He would receive the ball, drop his shoulder, take two quick touches, and suddenly he was past them, running towards goal with the crowd on its feet. It looked easy, and it looked fun, and that was the point. Hazard loved playing, and when you watched him, you could feel that love. He was not a player who treated football like a job. He treated it like a game, and he played it beautifully.

He was born in La Louvière, in Belgium, into a family where football was everything. His father and his mother had both played the game, and his younger brothers, Thorgan and Kylian, also became professional footballers. The Hazard house was a football house, and Eden grew up with a ball at his feet, playing in the garden, in the street, and at the local club. He was small, quick, and brave, and he learned to dribble past bigger boys by being faster with his feet and quicker with his brain.

He became a star at Lille, in France, where he won the league and the cup, and then he became a star at Chelsea, in England, where he won the Premier League twice and was named the best player in the league. He was the player Chelsea fans loved most, the one they waited for when the game was tight, because he could do something no one else could do. Then he moved to Real Madrid, for a huge fee, and everything changed. Injuries, which had barely touched him before, kept him out for months at a time, and he was never the same player again. In October 2023, at the age of thirty-two, he retired, and football lost one of its great entertainers far too early.

A Football Family in La Louvière

Eden Michael Walter Hazard was born on 7 January 1991 in La Louvière, a town in the French-speaking part of Belgium. His father, Thierry, had played football at a semi-professional level, and his mother, Carine, had played in the Belgian women’s first division. Football was not a hobby in the Hazard family. It was a way of life. The children grew up talking about the game, watching it on television, and playing it whenever they could. Eden was the eldest of four boys, and his brothers Thorgan, Kylian, and Ethan all played football too, with Thorgan also becoming a Belgium international.

He started playing for his local club, Royal Stade Brainois, when he was four years old, and he stayed there for eight years. He was small, but he was quick, and he had a low centre of gravity that made it hard for defenders to knock him off the ball. He could change direction in a single step, and he could keep the ball close to his feet while running at full speed. Coaches noticed that he was different, not because he scored the most goals, but because he made the game look easy. He passed, he dribbled, and he smiled, and the other children wanted to play like him.

At the age of fourteen, he moved to Tubize, another Belgian club, and then, in 2005, he was spotted by Lille, in France, who invited him to join their academy. It was a big decision for a fourteen-year-old boy to leave home and move to another country, even one as close as France. But Lille had a good academy, and they promised to look after him. He moved, he lived in the academy, and he learned the French game. He also learned to live away from his family, to be independent, and to take responsibility for his own career. It was a hard step, but it was the right one, because Lille gave him the chance to become a professional.

He worked his way through the youth teams, and he made his first-team debut for Lille in November 2007, when he was sixteen years old. He was the youngest player in the club’s history to play in the league, and the fans could see that he was special. He was still a boy, but he played with the confidence of a man, and he was not afraid to take on defenders twice his size. Lille had found a gem, and they knew it.

Lille: The Young Star of French Football

At Lille, Hazard grew from a talented teenager into one of the best players in France. He played on the left wing, cutting inside onto his right foot, and he became known for his dribbling, his passing, and his ability to score and create goals. He won the award for the best young player in France in 2009 and again in 2010, and he was named in the team of the season. He was still only nineteen, and he was already the player other teams tried to stop, by fouling him, by marking him with two men, and by kicking him. He took the fouls, he got up, and he kept playing, with a smile that frustrated his opponents even more.

The greatest season of his Lille career came in 2010-11, when Lille won the league and the French Cup, the double. It was the club’s first league title in more than fifty years, and Hazard was the star of the team. He scored goals, he made assists, and he played with a freedom that made the whole team better. The fans loved him, and the club knew that they would not be able to keep him for long. The biggest clubs in Europe were watching, and they were ready to pay a lot of money for him. In his last season at Lille, 2011-12, he was named the best player in France, and he scored twenty goals from the wing, which is a remarkable number for a player who was not a striker.

He left Lille in the summer of 2012, joining Chelsea in England for a fee of around thirty-two million pounds. It was a big move, and it was a brave one, because the Premier League is the hardest league in the world, and many young players from France have struggled there. Hazard did not struggle. He adapted quickly, he learned English, and he became one of the best players in England within a year. Lille had given him his education, and he was ready for the next stage of his life.

Chelsea: Two Titles and the Best Player in England

At Chelsea, Hazard became a star. He joined a team that had just won the Champions League, and he was expected to help them win more trophies. He did. In his first season, he helped Chelsea win the Europa League, and he scored goals and made assists in a team full of stars. He played under several managers, including José Mourinho, who returned to Chelsea in 2013, and who built the team around him. Mourinho gave him freedom to attack, and he also demanded that he work harder without the ball. Hazard learned to defend, to track back, and to be a more complete player.

The 2014-15 season was his best at Chelsea. He was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, the award voted for by his fellow professionals, and he helped Chelsea win the Premier League and the League Cup. He scored nineteen goals that season, and he was the player every team feared. He could win a game on his own, with a dribble, a pass, or a goal, and the Chelsea fans sang his name at every game. He was, by common consent, the best player in England, and he was only twenty-four years old.

He won the Premier League again in 2016-17, under Antonio Conte, and he played a key role in that title win. He scored goals, he created chances, and he was the creative heart of the team. In 2018-19, his last season at Chelsea, he helped the club win the Europa League again, scoring two goals in the final against Arsenal in Baku. It was a perfect farewell. He had played for Chelsea for seven seasons, he had won two league titles, two Europa Leagues, an FA Cup, and a League Cup, and he had become one of the club’s great players. The fans did not want him to leave, but they understood. Real Madrid were calling, and for a boy who had grown up dreaming of playing for Madrid, it was a call he could not refuse.

Belgium’s Golden Generation and the 2018 World Cup

While Hazard was becoming a star at Chelsea, he was also becoming the captain and the leader of Belgium. Belgium had a golden generation of players: Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois, Jan Vertonghen, and many others. They were talented, but they had never won a major tournament, and the country was waiting for them to do something special. Hazard was the captain, and he was the player the team looked to when they needed magic.

He made his debut for Belgium in 2008, when he was seventeen, and he played at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, where Belgium reached the quarter-finals. He played at the European Championship in France in 2016, where Belgium were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Wales, which was a disappointment. But the best was yet to come. At the World Cup in Russia in 2018, Belgium played wonderful football, and they finished third, their best ever result at a World Cup. Hazard was named the second-best player of the tournament, winning the Silver Ball, behind only Luka Modrić.

His performance against Brazil in the quarter-final was one of the great performances of that World Cup. He dribbled, he passed, and he led his team to a 2-1 win over one of the favourites. He was fouled again and again, but he kept getting up, and he kept playing. In the third-place play-off against England, he scored the second goal, and Belgium won 2-0. It was a proud moment for a small country, and Hazard was at the heart of it. He had played more than one hundred times for Belgium, and he had become one of the country’s greatest ever players.

Real Madrid: Injuries and a Dream That Faded

In the summer of 2019, Hazard joined Real Madrid for a fee of around one hundred million euros, one of the biggest transfers in the history of the game. He was given the number seven shirt, the shirt worn by Cristiano Ronaldo before him, and he was expected to become the new star of the team. It was a dream move, and he spoke about how happy he was to be at Madrid. But the dream quickly turned into a nightmare. In his first season, he was injured, and he missed many games. He had an ankle injury, and then he had more injuries, and he could never get a run of games together.

Over four seasons at Madrid, he played only seventy-six games, and he scored only seven goals. It was a shocking fall for a player who had been one of the best in the world at Chelsea. The injuries were not his fault, but they changed him. He lost his sharpness, he lost his confidence, and he gained weight, which the press wrote about in a cruel way. He tried to come back, again and again, but each time he returned, he was injured again. The Madrid fans, who had expected so much, grew frustrated, and the press in Spain was harsh. It was a painful time for a player who had always been loved by fans.

He did win trophies at Madrid, including the Champions League in 2022 and two league titles, but he played only a small part in them. He was on the bench for the Champions League final, and he watched his teammates win without him. It was a strange feeling for a man who had been the star at Chelsea. He had gone to Madrid to be the leader, and he had become a squad player, a man who watched from the sidelines. In June 2023, Madrid and Hazard agreed to end his contract a year early, and he became a free agent. He was thirty-two, and he had a decision to make: try to find a new club, or stop.

Retirement at Thirty-Two and Life After Football

In October 2023, Hazard announced that he was retiring from football. He was thirty-two years old, and he had played for Belgium for the last time at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, where Belgium were knocked out in the group stage. It was a sad end to an international career that had promised so much. He had played one hundred and twenty-six times for Belgium, and he had scored thirty-three goals, but he had never won a major trophy with his country, and that will always be a regret.

His retirement surprised many people, because thirty-two is young for a footballer to stop. But Hazard had made his decision. He had been injured so often, and he had lost the joy of playing, and he did not want to keep going for the sake of it. He said that he had enjoyed his career, and that he was ready for a new life. He did not want to play for a smaller club just to keep playing. He wanted to stop while he still had his memories of being a great player, not while he was struggling to be fit.

Since retiring, he has lived a quieter life, spending time with his family, playing football for fun, and staying away from the spotlight. He has not become a coach or a pundit, and he has not sought attention. He has said that he is happy, and that he does not miss the pressure of professional football. It is a calm ending to a career that was full of noise, and it suits a man who always played with a smile. The football world misses him, because players like him, who play with joy and with skill, are rare, and the game is poorer without them.

What Made Hazard Different From Other Wingers

Hazard was different from other wingers because he did not rely on speed alone. Many wingers are fast, and they beat defenders by running past them. Hazard was fast, but he was also clever. He beat defenders with a change of direction, with a drop of the shoulder, and with a touch that took the ball away from a tackle. He was hard to foul, because he was strong for his size, and he had a low centre of gravity that kept him on his feet. Defenders kicked him more than almost any other player in England, and he kept getting up, and he kept dribbling. That resilience was part of what made him special.

He was also unselfish. He could have shot more often, and he could have scored more goals, but he liked to pass, to create, and to make his teammates better. At Chelsea, he made assists for Diego Costa, for Álvaro Morata, and for many others, and he was happy to do so. He was not a player who needed to be the top scorer to be happy. He was happy when the team won, and when he had played well. That attitude made him loved by his teammates, and it made him a leader, even though he was quiet and shy off the pitch.

The 2018-19 Season and the Farewell in Baku

Hazard’s last season at Chelsea, 2018-19, was one of his best, and it was a perfect farewell. He played under Maurizio Sarri, a manager who gave him freedom to attack, and he scored sixteen goals in the league and made fifteen assists, which is a remarkable return for a winger. He was the creative heart of the team, and he carried Chelsea to third place in the league and to the final of the Europa League. In the final, against Arsenal in Baku, in Azerbaijan, he scored two goals and made an assist, and Chelsea won 4-1. It was a performance that summed up his whole time at Chelsea: skill, goals, assists, and a smile.

He knew, before that final, that he was leaving. Real Madrid had agreed a deal, and he had told the club that he wanted to go. But he did not let that affect his performance. He played his best game of the season in his last game for the club, and he gave the fans a memory to keep. After the game, he spoke about his love for Chelsea, and about how much the club and the fans meant to him. The fans sang his name, and they thanked him, even though they were sad to see him go. It was a respectful farewell, between a player and a club who had given each other seven wonderful years.

He left Chelsea with two league titles, two Europa Leagues, an FA Cup, and a League Cup, and with the love of the fans. He had played two hundred and forty-five games for the club, and he had scored one hundred and ten goals. Those numbers tell only part of the story. The other part is the joy he gave to the fans, the dribbles, the goals, and the smile. Chelsea fans will always remember him as one of their great players, and as the magician who made them happy, season after season, for seven years.

Lille: The Double and the Best Player in France

The 2010-11 season at Lille was the season when Hazard became a star, not only in France, but in Europe. Lille won the league and the French Cup, the double, and Hazard was the best player in the team. He scored goals, he made assists, and he played with a freedom that made the whole team better. The fans in Lille loved him, because he was young, he was skilful, and he played with a smile. The club had not won the league for more than fifty years, and Hazard helped them do it, at nineteen years old. It was a remarkable achievement, and it made him one of the most wanted players in Europe.

He was named the best young player in France, and he was named in the team of the season, and he was the player every big club wanted to sign. In his last season at Lille, 2011-12, he scored twenty goals from the wing, and he was named the best player in France. He left Lille as a hero, and the fans gave him a warm farewell, because they knew they were losing a special player. He had played for Lille for five seasons, he had won the double, and he had become one of the best players in French football. It was time for the next step, and Chelsea were waiting, in England, with a new challenge, and a new league to conquer.

My Take:

I think Eden Hazard is the player I enjoyed watching most in the Premier League in the last fifteen years, and I do not say that lightly. There have been great goalscorers, great passers, and great defenders, but Hazard was different. He played with joy. When he got the ball, you could see him smile, and you could see the defender in front of him take a step back, because he knew what was coming and he knew he could not stop it. Hazard would drop his shoulder, take two touches, and he was gone. It was beautiful, and it was fun, and it made me remember why I love football in the first place. Football is supposed to be fun, and Hazard played it like it was fun.

What I admire most is his dribbling. I have watched many great dribblers, and most of them rely on speed. They run past a defender because they are faster. Hazard did not need to be faster. He was cleverer. He changed direction in a single step, he kept the ball close to his feet, and he used his body to shield it. Defenders kicked him, they fouled him, and they tried to stop him, but he kept getting up. In England, he was fouled more than almost any other player, and he never complained. He got up, he smiled, and he tried again. That resilience is something I respect deeply, because it is easy to dribble when no one touches you. It is hard to dribble when everyone is trying to kick you, and Hazard did it week after week.

I also think about his family, and how football ran through it. His father played, his mother played, and his brothers played. That is a rare thing, and it tells me that Hazard grew up in a house where football was loved, not forced. He did not play because someone told him to. He played because he loved it, and because everyone around him loved it too. I think that is why he played with such joy. He was not playing for money or for fame. He was playing because it was what he had always done, since he was a small boy in La Louvière. That love stayed with him, even when he became famous, and it is what made him special.

His time at Chelsea is the part of his career I think about most, because he was at his best there. He won the league twice, he was named the best player in England, and he was the player the fans loved most. I remember the 2014-15 season, when he was almost unplayable. He scored goals, he made assists, and he won games on his own. I also remember the Europa League final in 2019, his last game for Chelsea, when he scored two goals against Arsenal and said goodbye in the best way possible. It was a perfect ending, and I think Chelsea fans will always love him for it. He gave them seven years of joy, and they gave him their love in return.

The move to Real Madrid is the sad part of his story, and I find it hard to write about without feeling sorry for him. He went to Madrid as a dream, and it became a nightmare. He was injured, again and again, and he was never the same player. He played seventy-six games in four years, and he scored seven goals. Those numbers are shocking for a player of his quality. I do not blame him for the injuries. They were not his fault. But I do wonder if he should have stayed at Chelsea, where he was loved, where he was fit, and where he was the star. Madrid was a dream, but dreams do not always come true, and sometimes the place where you are happy is better than the place where you dream of being.

I also think about the way the press treated him at Madrid, and I find it cruel. They wrote about his weight, they wrote about his injuries, and they said he did not care. I do not believe that. I think he cared deeply, and I think he was frustrated and sad. A player who has been one of the best in the world does not suddenly stop caring. He stops being able to play, because his body will not let him, and that is a painful thing. I wish people had been kinder to him, because he deserved kindness. He had given so much joy to football, and he deserved to be treated with respect, even when he was injured.

His retirement at thirty-two is something I think about a lot. Most players play until they are thirty-five or thirty-six, and they keep going even when they are not as good as they once were. Hazard stopped at thirty-two, and I respect that decision. He said he had lost the joy of playing, and he did not want to keep going for the sake of it. That takes honesty, and it takes courage. It is easy to keep playing for money. It is hard to stop and say that you have had enough. I think he made the right choice, because I would rather remember him as the smiling magician at Chelsea than as a struggling player at a smaller club, trying to recapture something that was gone.

I also think about Belgium, and the golden generation that never won a trophy. Hazard was the captain, and he was the leader, and the team had so much talent. They finished third at the World Cup in 2018, which was their best ever result, but they never won a major tournament. That is a regret, and I think Hazard feels it. He played one hundred and twenty-six times for Belgium, and he gave everything he had, but the team could not quite win the big prize. I do not blame him for that. Football is a team game, and one player cannot win a tournament on his own. But I understand why it hurts, because he wanted to give Belgium a trophy, and he came close, but he did not quite get there.

What I learn from Hazard is that joy matters. In a game that has become so serious, so tactical, and so focused on money, Hazard played with joy, and that joy made people happy. I think young players should learn from that. Do not only think about tactics and fitness. Think about enjoying the game. If you enjoy it, you will play better, and the people who watch you will enjoy it too. Hazard enjoyed it, and we enjoyed watching him, and that is a legacy that is worth more than any trophy. Trophies are won and forgotten. Joy is remembered.

I also learn something about the fragility of a footballer’s career. Hazard was fit for almost his whole time at Chelsea, and then he went to Madrid and he was injured all the time. One move, one change of club, and his body fell apart. It shows how quickly things can change, and how a player can go from being the best in the world to being a substitute in a few months. It is a reminder to enjoy a player while he is at his best, because you never know how long it will last. I enjoyed Hazard at his best, and I am glad I did, because his best did not last as long as it should have.

If I could say one thing to him, I would say thank you. Thank you for the dribbles, for the goals, for the smile, and for the joy. Thank you for playing football the way it should be played, with skill and with happiness. I will remember the night he scored two goals in the Europa League final, and the season he was the best player in England, and the World Cup in 2018, when he led Belgium to third place. Those are memories I will keep, and I think many football fans will keep them too. He may have retired early, but he left us with enough beautiful moments to last a lifetime.

In the end, I think Hazard’s story is a happy story and a sad story at the same time. It is happy because he played beautiful football, he won trophies, and he made people smile. It is sad because it ended too early, and because the Madrid years were so painful. But I choose to remember the happy part. I choose to remember the magician at Chelsea, the boy from La Louvière who dribbled past everyone, and the captain who led Belgium to third place in the world. That is the Hazard I love, and that is the Hazard I will always remember.

I also think his story is a lesson for clubs. When a player is happy, fit, and loved, do not assume he will be the same somewhere else. Chelsea was the right place for Hazard. Madrid was the wrong place, not because Madrid is a bad club, but because it was the wrong time, the wrong body, and the wrong luck. Clubs should think about that when they buy a player. It is not only about talent. It is about fit, about happiness, and about health. Hazard had all three at Chelsea, and he lost them at Madrid. That is a lesson worth learning.

I also think about his brothers, Thorgan and Kylian, and how football runs in the Hazard family. Thorgan also played for Belgium, and he played in Germany, for Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach. The two brothers played together for Belgium, and they supported each other. I think that is a lovely story, because it shows how a family can share a dream. Eden was the eldest, and he was the star, but Thorgan was also a good player, and he had his own career. I think Eden is proud of his brother, and I think Thorgan is proud of Eden, and that is a nice thing to see in football, where brothers often compete with each other. The Hazards supported each other, and that is a good example for every family.

There is another thing I want to say, and it is about his smile. Hazard smiled when he played, and that smile made people happy. It is a simple thing, but it matters. Footballers who smile remind us that the game is supposed to be fun, and that it is a privilege to play it. Hazard smiled, even when he was fouled, even when he was losing, and even when he was injured. That smile was part of who he was, and it is part of why fans loved him. I will miss that smile, now that he has retired, because the game needs more players who smile, and fewer players who complain.

I also want to say something about the 2018 World Cup, and how proud Belgium were of their third-place finish. It was the best result in the country’s history, and Hazard was the captain, and the second-best player of the tournament. He led his team with skill, with passion, and with joy, and he gave Belgium a summer they will never forget. I think that tournament is his greatest achievement with his country, and it is a legacy that will last. He may never have won a major trophy with Belgium, but he gave them third place at a World Cup, and that is a great achievement for a small country.

Lastly, I think about what I would say to a young player who wants to play like Hazard. I would say: dribble, smile, and enjoy the game. Do not be afraid to try something, even if you fail. Hazard tried, he failed sometimes, and he tried again. That courage made him great. And do not forget to pass, to create, and to make your teammates better, because Hazard did that too. He was not a selfish player. He was a team player who happened to be brilliant at dribbling. That is the best kind of player, and it is the kind I hope young players will try to be.

Finally, I want to say that I hope young players watch Hazard and learn to dribble, to smile, and to enjoy the game. Football needs more players like him, players who play with freedom and with joy, and who remind us that the game is beautiful. There are too many players who play safe, who pass backwards, and who are afraid to try something. Hazard was never afraid. He tried, he failed sometimes, and he tried again. That courage is what made him great, and it is what I will miss most about him now that he has retired.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Eden Hazard born and where did he grow up?

Eden Hazard was born on 7 January 1991 in La Louvière, Belgium, into a football family where both his parents had played the game. He started playing for his local club at the age of four and joined the Lille academy in France when he was fourteen.

Which clubs did Eden Hazard play for?

He played for Lille in France, Chelsea in England, and Real Madrid in Spain. His most successful years were at Chelsea from 2012 to 2019, where he won two Premier League titles and two Europa Leagues.

How many times did Eden Hazard play for Belgium?

He played one hundred and twenty-six times for Belgium and scored thirty-three goals. He was the captain of the team, and he led them to third place at the World Cup in Russia in 2018, their best ever result.

Why did Eden Hazard struggle at Real Madrid?

He joined Madrid in 2019 for around one hundred million euros, but he suffered repeated injuries, especially to his ankle, and he played only seventy-six games in four seasons. He lost his fitness and his confidence, and he was never able to recapture his Chelsea form.

When did Eden Hazard retire from football?

He announced his retirement in October 2023, at the age of thirty-two, after his contract with Real Madrid had been ended early. He had played his last game for Belgium at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

What was Eden Hazard’s best season at Chelsea?

Many people point to the 2014-15 season, when he was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and helped Chelsea win the Premier League and the League Cup. He scored nineteen goals that season and was widely seen as the best player in England.

Did Eden Hazard win the Ballon d’Or?

No, he never won the Ballon d’Or, although he was one of the best players in the world at his peak. His highest finish in the Ballon d’Or voting came after his great seasons at Chelsea, but the award in those years went to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.