Eden Hazard, once dubbed the Premier League’s best crack, has finally announced his retirement from the game after a dramatic fall from grace since joining Real Madrid. In his four years at Real, he played just six full-time games.
Azar is a Chelsea legend. He led Chelsea’s attack for seven years, from 2012 to 2019, and endeared himself to fans with his dedication to the team. Although he is not physically gifted, his balance, speed, and concise dribbling and finishing ability made him stand out as the “crack” and made him a favorite to be the next Ballon d’Or winner, following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
His career began in France. He made his senior debut at a young age in the 2007-08 season and quickly established himself. The following year, he established himself as a mainstay, and that’s when he started to take the league by storm. In 2011-12, he scored 20 goals and provided 18 assists in the league alone, proving that the French scene was too small for him.
He left France for Chelsea, a move that proved to be a success, as he became a regular in his first year and played in almost every competition, including the league, the UEFA Champions League (UCL) and UEFA Super Cup, and the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Club World Cup. In total, he has played over 60 games and has shown tremendous stamina, scoring 12 goals and providing 24 assists to spearhead the attack.
The rest is history. He became a “legend,” surpassing Didier Drogba. Scored double-digit league goals in every season except 2015-16, when the team struggled overall. His total for Chelsea was 110 goals and 92 assists in 352 games. The numbers were staggering.
Then, in the 2019-20 season, he left Chelsea. With Ronaldo gone, Real Madrid were looking for a replacement and saw Azar as the perfect fit. Looking for a new challenge, Azar responded to Real’s interest. Chelsea didn’t want to sell him, but they couldn’t stop the player’s desire to leave and the huge transfer fee. Chelsea fans were disappointed, but happy to let him go.
Thus, Azar arrived at Real with much anticipation. The astronomical price tag of €115 million ($164.9 billion) didn’t seem expensive at all, considering his value and performance.
But at Real, he became the perfect ‘bargain’. His dominant form at Chelsea was nowhere to be seen. At Chelsea, he was a man of steel, but at Real, he was plagued by injuries every season. His performances weren’t good either, and he left Real as a free agent with a paltry seven goals and 12 assists in 76 games.
Azhar became a free agent. Crystal Palace of the English Premier League (EPL) and French clubs Olympique Marseille, OGC Nice, and LOSC Lille were among the clubs that wanted to sign him.
However, he rejected all offers and eventually announced his retirement from the game. “You have to listen to yourself when you tell yourself to stop at the right time,” he said on social media. After 16 years and over 700 games, I have decided to end my professional soccer career. I was able to play in many parts of the world and realize my dreams. I was lucky to have good managers, coaches, and teammates during my career. I am grateful to all of them and will miss them,” he said.
“I would also like to thank all the clubs I played for: Lille, Chelsea and Real Madrid. I’d also like to thank the fans for all their 토토사이트 support. Now it’s time to have fun and experience new things with the people I love.”
His four years at Real were marked by a steep decline. Self-management issues, adapting to a new league, the aging curve – there are many reasons for this, but the fact is that the last four years were the worst.
Sky Sports reporter Real Thomas broke the news of Azar’s retirement, saying, “Azar hasn’t played a full 90 minutes in the last two years. His last full game will be against Cadiz on December 19, 2021. In his four years at Real, Azar has played just six full games.”