Eden Hazard: The Saddening Story of a Belgium Star Plagued by Injuries

• Eden Hazard has announced his retirement from international football after a disastrous World Cup campaign
• Hazard was defenseless as his side exited the Qatar edition, with his loss of form over the last three years playing a huge part
• However, his current form notwithstanding, Hazard is an A-list player who was disadvantaged by unfortunate circumstances

Eden Hazard is a star, Period. Admittedly, the last three years of his career have been a sad sight, but no one can ever take away from him the seven glorious years he had at Chelsea. And at Lille before that.

The star who made the Premier League his own with his diminutive figure, Hazard terrorized defences with his quick feet, mazy runs and amazing ingenuity.

Born in La Louvière Central Belgium, Hazard knew he was destined for the stars. He made his breakthrough at Lille, guiding them to the Ligue 1 title, plus winning other individual awards.

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He caught the eye of the legendary Zinedine Zidane, who famously claimed he would take him to Real Madrid in a heartbeat.

The Eden Hazard of Chelsea

Hazard then joined Chelsea following their Champions League success in 2012. He inherited the number 17 shirt from Jose Bosingwa and immediately got down to business in London by scoring 13 goals in his debut season.

He missed out on the dramatic Europa League final against Benfica, which Chelsea won via a last-gasp Branislav Ivanovic goal. The then 22-year-old continued with his ascension to Chelsea stardom by winning back-to-back Chelsea player of the year awards.

He immortalized himself within Chelsea folklore, who looked up to him in times of despair. Scoring consistently has never been his cup of tea, but if there was one person who could break down defences and low blocks, Hazard was always the go-to person.

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At Chelsea, he was an entertainer, a player who could fail to score or assist but still win multiple man of the match awards. His funny side was also not lost on the squad, with his gimmicks and pranks usually getting his teammates flat-footed.

Generational player

However, all this went down the drain when he sealed a dream move to Real Madrid. Hazard's loss of form remains one of the saddest things to see in modern-day football. Perhaps, the same level as Kaka's.

Both of them were generational players. Hazard was considered the best player after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at one point. But with constant fitness issues, body weight concerns and the rapid rise of Vinicius Junior, Hazard went off the radar.

Then followed the shambolic Belgian campaign in Qatar. He was practically defenseless as the Red Devils crashed out. Not the same Hazard of four years ago who did all he could against France in the semifinals but fell short to a superior side.

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This time in Qatar, not even a flash of brilliance was spotted.

Redemption for Hazard?

His exit from the international stage just adds to the statistic of another big player who has never won an international trophy. But maybe, it can act as a springboard for him to wrestle a starting berth under Carlo Ancelotti.

At 31, Hazard still has time to revive his career. It will be a long road, but once all is said and done, it will be remembered that Hazard was the player who enjoyed his football, dazzled audiences, won hearts but was pegged back by injuries.

Hazard is/was a star.

Where it all went wrong for Belgium in Qatar

Sports Brief had earlier reported that Belgium's Golden Generation fell short of winning another major title with a shocking group stage exit at the Qatar World Cup.

Roberto Martinez's side were outclassed but survived against Canada, were embarrassed by Morocco, and then frustrated by Croatia.

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Martinez has since resigned with nothing to show, save for the long periods Belgium were on top of the FIFA rankings.