Eden Hazard: Top 8 Best Moments of the Winger's Career

• Eden Hazard announced his retirement from football after a 16-year career on Tuesday
• The winger's most successful stint came with Chelsea, where he won two EPL titles
• Hazard quit Chelsea in 2019 for a move to Real Madrid, where he went on to win the Champions League

After 16 years of absolute football pleasure, Eden Hazard has finally called time on his illustrious football career.

The former Chelsea winger announced on Tuesday, October 10, that he is retiring from the game aged just 32.

According to Sportbible, Hazard's retirement came months after he was released by Real Madrid following an underwhelming spell with the club.

The Belgian ace sealed a dream move to Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2019, with the transfer ending his seven-year association with Chelsea.

However, his spell with the La Liga giants did not go according to plan, with a string of injuries hampering his progress with them.

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Hazard could only manage 76 appearances for Real across competitions during his four seasons with the club, scoring a paltry seven goals.

The winger's struggles at Real notwithstanding, he will surely take pride in the successful stints he had with Chelsea and Lille.

Sports Brief takes a look at Hazard's best moments in his career.

8. Ligue 1's youngest-ever Player of the Year

In 2011, Hazard became the youngest player to win the prestigious Player of the Year in the Ligue 1.

The former Belgium international carted home the award aged just 20.

7. Dream Chelsea debut

Hazard's impressive performances at Lille earned him a dream move to the Premier League with Chelsea in 2012.

The 32-year-old wasted no time to settle in, as he made a mark in his debut against Wigan.

At the time, he set up Branislav Ivanovic for the opener before he won a penalty that was converted by Frank Lampard as the Blues secured a 2-0 win.

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6. His first Premier League hat-trick

While Hazard enjoyed an impressive start to life when he joined Chelsea, he had to wait for two years before he could bag his first EPL hat-trick.

The winger found the back of the net three times against Newcastle United, as Chelsea, under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho at the time, hammered the Magpies 3-0.

5. EPL winning goal vs Crystal Palace

The 2014/15 season was undoubtedly one of Hazard's most successful campaign with Chelsea.

At the time, he won the prestigious PFA Player of the Year award as he inspired the Blues to Premier League glory.

He netted 14 goals and bagged 10 assists.

One of the goals was against Crystal Palace, effectively confirming Chelsea as champions.

4. His world-class solo goal vs Arsenal

Hazard was known for his dribbling skills and agility with the ball.

In 2017, he brought the Premier League to a standstill with a brilliant solo goal against rivals Arsenal, which is regarded as one of the best solo strikes to date.

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With the Blues leading 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, Hazard picked up a loose ball on the halfway line before beating both Laurent Koscielny and Francis Coquelin to chip past a helpless Petr Cech.

3. Leading Belgium to third place at the World Cup

GiveMeSports reports that Hazard was part of Belgium's golden generation that was backed to conquer football for years.

While the squad largely failed to live up to its billing, the winger did manage to captain them to their best finish at a World Cup.

In 2018, the former Rea ace wore the armband as he led the Red Devils to a third-place finish in Russia.

2. Winning penalty in the FA Cup Final

In 2018, Chelsea were crowned FA Cup champions after seeing off rivals Manchester United in the final.

Hazard was the man of the moment as his first-half penalty earned the Blues the title.

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1. Chelsea farewell

The summer of 2019 was an emotional one for all Chelsea fans.

After seven years at Stamford Bridge, Hazard had set his sights on leaving the club for a move to Real Madrid.

However, he did this in one of the most honourable and memorable ways.

The winger played a key part in helping the Blues win the Europa League against rivals Arsenal.

The Belgian scored twice and assisted another as the west Londoners hammered the Gunners 4-1 in Baku to lift the prestigious title.

Bruno pays tribute to Hazard

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has sent Eden Hazard a classy message following the winger's decision to retire from active football.

Fernandes is among a host of football stars who have paid tribute to Hazard following his surprise announcement.