Why did Eden Hazard retire? Chelsea great explains reasons as he hangs up boots

The Belgian played for Lille, Chelsea and Real Madrid as well as for his country.

But after 16 years in first-team football, he's decided to retire at the age of just 32.

It's a sad end to a career that provided some spectacular moments.

Why did Eden Hazard retire?

After leaving Real Madrid in the summer, Hazard was without a club by the time the summer transfer window in Europe and Saudi Arabia closed.

And with no prospect of a team, Hazard released a statement on Instagram.

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It read: "You must listen to yourself and say stop at the right time.

"After 16 years and more than 700 matches played, I have decided to end my career as a professional footballer.

"I was able to realise my dream, I have played and had fun on many pitches around the world.

"During my career, I was lucky to meet great managers, coaches and teammates - thank you to everyone for these great times, I will miss you all.

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"I also want to thank the clubs I have played for: LOSC, Chelsea and Real Madrid; and thank the RBFA for my Belgian Selection.

"A special thank you to my family, my friends, my advisors and the people who have been close to me in good times and bad."

Hazard made his Ligue 1 debut for Lille at just 16 and enjoyed several brilliant moments during his career.

In total, he made close to 750 appearances and was a standout performer for both Lille and Chelsea.

Hazard was never injured for Lille and only suffered two problems in his first four seasons with the Blues.

He was always fit and always played.

Even by the time he left Chelsea in the summer of 2019 for a dream move to Real, Hazard hadn't missed any significant time through injury.

But as soon as he got to Spain, things changed.

Hazard spent four seasons with Real, in which he made just 76 appearances for the Spanish giants.

In total, he missed 85 games through injury over four years, and even when healthy, he often wasn't match fit.

In his statement, the former forward says that he must listen to himself and by that, he probably means his body, which has failed him in recent years.

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Given he's only 32, Hazard should have had many more years at the top of his game, but he wasn't the same player.

It's a huge shame and we must all wonder what might have been for Hazard.