Transfer Centre

Eden Hazard 'considering retiring at end of Real Madrid contract'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 08 May 2023

Real Madrid attacker Eden Hazard is reportedly considering retiring from football when his contract with Los Blancos expires next summer.

Real Madrid attacker Eden Hazard is reportedly considering retiring when his contract with Los Blancos expires at the end of next season.

The Belgium international's time at the Santiago Bernabeu has been nothing short of disastrous since he left Chelsea in a £100m deal back in the summer of 2019.

During an injury-riddled four years in the Spanish capital, Hazard has only made 75 appearances across all competitions, scoring seven goals and setting up 12 more.

The 32-year-old has remained on the fringes of the team under Carlo Ancelotti this season, and his contract at the Bernabeu only runs until the summer of 2024.

Hazard has been frequently linked with an exit from Real Madrid amid his torrid fortunes, but he recently confirmed that he intends to stay on for the final year of his deal.

Real Madrid's Eden Hazard during the warm up before the match on October 11, 2022 © Reuters

A return to the Premier League has briefly been mooted for the former Chelsea man, but according to Relevo, he is now giving serious thought to hanging up his boots next summer.

Hazard will be 33 by the time his contract with the La Liga and Champions League winners comes to an end, and he apparently feels that he has achieved everything that he wanted to achieve in football.

Furthermore, the Belgian attacker possesses a frosty relationship with head coach Ancelotti, having admitted that the pair rarely speak to each other one-to-one.

Nevertheless, Hazard and his family are said to be settled in the Spanish capital, and the recent birth of his child in the city heavily influenced his decision not to move in recent windows.

In contrast, Real Madrid have no intention of keeping Hazard for the duration of his contract and will do everything in their power to offload him this summer, but he will likely resist any attempts to force him out before 2024.

Real Madrid's Eden Hazard pictured in March 2022 © Reuters

When the 32-year-old's time with Real comes to an end, the report adds that he could be persuaded to continue his career in MLS or Saudi Arabia, where he feels he could fall back in love with football.

Clubs from both leagues are believed to have been in touch with Hazard's representatives, but he is yet to receive a firm offer, and retirement is now a genuine option in 2024.

Hazard has been restricted to a mere nine appearances in all competitions during the 2022-23 season, scoring once and setting up two more goals, despite managing to stay fit for the majority of the campaign.

The former Lille youngster has played just 133 minutes of football in five La Liga outings - four of which have come as a substitute - as he sits behind Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Federico Valverde and Marco Asensio in the attacking pecking order.

Hazard has not played a single minute of Champions League knockout football this season and is once again expected to be on the bench for Tuesday's semi-final first leg against Manchester City.