Belgian captain Eden Hazard has immediately ended his international career. The captain of the Red Devils played 126 times for Belgium. Hazard was stranded with the Belgians during the World Cup in Qatar in the group stage.
Hazard confirms his farewell on Instagram on Wednesday: “Today we turn a page. Thanks for your love. Thank you for your unparalleled support. Thank you for all those joyful moments that we have been able to experience together since 2008,” writes the captain of Belgium, who was unable to play a significant role during the World Cup in the team of national coach Roberto Martínez, who announced his retirement earlier.
“Today I decided to put an end to my career as an international,” continues Hazard, who made his international debut in November 2008 and was active with Belgium at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups and the 2016 and 2020 European Championships.
Hazard came third with Belgium four years ago at the World Cup in Russia, but partly due to injuries, Real Madrid’s attacking midfielder did not reach his top level for a long time. The former OSC Lille and Chelsea player scored 33 goals for Belgium. In his last twenty international matches, Hazard only found the net once, more than a year ago against the Czech Republic.
Former national coach of Belgium Georges Leekens thinks Hazard was not numb to the criticism he received in recent years. “The relentless criticism has hurt him a lot. It is clear to me: he no longer felt the support of the general public,” said Leekens, who experienced Hazard between 2010 and 2012 as a choice lord at the Red Devils.
Former colleague internationals such as Thibaut Courtois, Jan Vertonghen, Michy Batshuayi and Axel Witsel have already responded to Hazard’s Instagram message. In which he announced on Wednesday that he would stop at Belgium. “What a journey it has been. Congratulations Captain, you will be missed!” Kevin De Bruyne declared on his own Instagram account.
