Real Madrid Star Eden Hazard Confirms Decision to Retire From Belgium National Team

Real Madrid Star Eden Hazard Confirms Decision to Retire From Belgium National Team

Chukwu Ikechukwu
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:28 PM
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  • Eden Hazard will not play for Belgium again after confirming his decision to retire from international football
  • The 32-year-old forward last participated on the global stage at the 2022 World Cup with his country's national team
  • Hazard made his senior debut for the Red Devils in November 2008 at 17 years and has spent 15 years as a team member

Eden Hazard has decided to walk away from international football team after 15 years of playing for the Belgium national team.

The Real Madrid forward made his debut with the Belgian national team at just 17 years old when he featured in a friendly game against Luxembourg in November 2008.

Eden Hazard, Real Madrid, Belgium, FIFA World Cup, Los Blancos
Eden Hazard captained Belgium at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Photo by DeFodi Images.
Source: Getty Images

According to Marca, Hazard has now revealed he does not plan on following in the footsteps of Lionel Messi or Zinedine Zidane, who both made U-turns after initially retiring to return to their respective national teams.

“I couldn't see myself not playing for Real Madrid and then getting to the national team and playing. I'm not coming back, I'm 100 percent sure. I don't see myself doing that and it's never been in my head.”

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Hazard’s last appearance for the Belgian national team was at the 2022 FIFA World Cup where the Red Devils got eliminated in the group stage.

Hazard on World Cup failures

Meanwhile, Hazard admits he 'didn’t like' playing for Belgium at the 2022 World Cup as he felt undeserving of a role amid ongoing struggles at Real Madrid, Goal also reported.

The 32-year-old forward revealed that Belgium’s younger generation of talent would have been more deserving of minutes than he was at the showpiece tournament in Qatar.

Hazard struggled to impress at the Mundial as the country's 'golden generation' - which included Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku - failed to progress to the knockout stages.

Hazard’s representatives meet Real Madrid

In related coverage, Sports Brief reported on Hazard's Real Madrid future possibly being decided in the coming weeks.

The Belgian's contract with the Spanish club only expires at the end of next season, but he is likely to leave at the end of this season.

A renowned football journalist recently stated Hazard's representatives would meet with Los Blancos officials to discuss his future.

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Chukwu Ikechukwu
Chukwu Ikechukwu Godwin is a journalist with over 9 years of experience in the Nigerian media industry. He has worked both in Radio (Today FM, Rhythm FM, Wish FM) and Television (Silverbird TV) as a Sports Analyst..
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