Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger for La Liga side Real Madrid. He is one of the most technically sound players, known for his speed, creativity, technical, and passing ability. Hazard is considered one of the best players of his generation. He retired from the Belgium national team following the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the age of 31.

Early Life

Eden Hazard was born on January 7, 1991, in La Louvière, Belgium. He grew up in the small town of Braine-le-Comte, where he began playing football at a young age. Hazard began playing for local club Royal Stade Brainois at the age of four and quickly showed a natural talent for the game.

During his initial training, a coach of the club praised him describing him as a “gifted” player. In 2003, he moved to Tubize, a Belgian First Division B team, and stayed with the club for 2 years.

In 2005, he headed to France to join the first division club, Lille. After spending two years with the club's training academy, he signed his first professional contract with Lille on 28 May 2007.

He had also represented Belgium at several youth levels such as Under-15 and Under-16. Before making his senior international debut, he played 37 games at different levels scoring 11 goals.

Club Career

After making his debut for Lille in 2007, Eden Hazard quickly established himself as one of the team's most promising young players. He helped Lille win the French league and cup double in the 2010-11 season, and was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year for his performances.

In 2012, Hazard joined English Premier League club Chelsea for a reported fee of £32 million, making him one of the most expensive signings in Chelsea's history at the time. He quickly became a key player for Chelsea, helping the team win the Europa League in his first season and the Premier League title in both 2014-15 and 2016-17. He is considered a Chelsea legend, scoring 110 goals in 352 appearances for the Blues.

In 2019, Hazard joined Spanish giants Real Madrid in a deal reportedly worth €100 million. However, his time at Real Madrid has been hampered by injuries, and he has struggled to reproduce the form that made him such a success at Chelsea. Despite this, he has still contributed to Real Madrid's success, helping the team win the La Liga title in the 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons. He also won the UEFA Champions League in the 2021-22 season.

International Career

Eden Hazard has had a successful international career with the Belgium national team. He made his debut for Belgium in 2008, at the age of 17, and quickly established himself as a key player for the team.

He helped Belgium reach the quarter-finals of both the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup tournaments. In the 2018 World Cup, he was particularly impressive, scoring three goals and providing two assists as Belgium finished third in the tournament. In addition to the World Cup, Hazard has also helped Belgium reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA European Championships twice, in 2016 and 2020.

Hazard also featured for Belgium in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, having minimal effect, as they crashed out in the group stages. He announced his retirement from international football on December 7th, 2022. In total, he scored 33 goals in 126 appearances.

Records

• Hazard is the all-time leader in assists for the Belgium national team, with over 40 assists.

• Hazard has won the Belgian Footballer of the Year award seven times, including four consecutive wins from 2011 to 2014.

• During his time at Chelsea, Hazard won the Premier League Player of the Season award in the 2014-15 season, becoming the first Chelsea player to win the award since 2006.

• Hazard was named the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year in the 2010-11 season, becoming the youngest player ever to win the award at the age of 21.

Awards and Achievements

Personal Life

Hazard is known for his charitable work. He has been involved in various projects aimed at helping children and young people, including supporting the One Goal campaign to promote education and gender equality, and working with the KickCancer foundation to raise awareness and funds for children with cancer.

Hazard is also known for his love of music and often listens to music before games to help him focus. He has stated in interviews that he enjoys listening to hip-hop and R&B, with some of his favorite artists including Drake and Kendrick Lamar. He enjoys playing video games, particularly FIFA.

Net Worth

As of 2023, his net worth is estimated to be around $100 million.

Family

Hazard’s father, Thierry Hazard, was a semi-professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder in the Belgian lower leagues. His mother, Carine Hazard, was a footballer as well, and played as a striker in the Belgian Women's First Division.

He has three younger brothers, all of whom are also footballers. Thorgan Hazard, the second oldest of the brothers, currently plays as a midfielder for Borussia Dortmund and the Belgium national team. Kylian Hazard, the third oldest, plays as a forward for the Belgian club Cercle Brugge. Ethan Hazard, the youngest of the four, is still in the early stages of his football career and currently plays for the youth team of AFC Tubize in Belgium.

Wife

Hazard married Natacha Van Honacker in 2012. The couple have three children together: Yannis, Leo, and Samy.

Houses

In Belgium, he reportedly owns a luxurious villa in the town of Braine-le-Comte, which is located south of Brussels. The villa is said to be equipped with state-of-the-art features such as a swimming pool, a tennis court, and a gym.

In Spain, he owns a mansion in the exclusive La Finca neighborhood. The house is situated on a large plot of land and features several bedrooms, a gym, a home cinema, and an outdoor swimming pool. The house is reportedly worth several million euros.