Eden Hazard's career 'ruined by tackle' during Real Madrid vs PSG | OneFootball

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Formerly of Chelsea and Real Madrid, Eden Hazard has pulled the curtains on his glittering career, aged 32. The pint-sized Belgian often made the English topflight his playground, bamboozling the opposition week upon week, though his spell at the 14-time Champions League winners was less than fruitful.

His switch in 2019 seemed like a transfer that would benefit all parties. Winning two Premier Leagues, two Europa League titles and even more domestic cups in west London, those in the football echo chamber were certain that he would set the Spanish topflight alight.

Departing the capital club as a modern Premier League great, he arrived in Spain to heavy fanfare as he penned a five-year deal for a fee that could’ve surpassed the £150m mark, per BBC Sport.

Four years, 76 appearances, seven goals and 12 assists later and Madrid and the 126-cap Belgium international mutually agreed to terminate his contract.

The former Lille man, who spearheaded the French club to a stunning 2010/11 Ligue 1 triumph, had cemented himself as one of the brightest footballers of the modern era and fans – especially of a Stamford Bridge persuasion – will look back fondly on his heyday.

A four-year purgatory in the Spanish capital, unfortunately, provided a sad epilogue to his illustrious career. And now, footage has now emerged of a tackle, made by Borussia Dortmund defender Thomas Meunier, which is believed to be the start of the end of his time as a footballer.

Thomas Meunier’s tackle on Eden Hazard

Those associated with Madrid will always ponder what might have happened if Meunier, a then Paris Saint-Germain player, hadn’t kicked his compatriot in their Champions League contest in November 2019.

With the score 1-0 in the 62nd minute and PSG eagerly chasing a goal, Hazard attempted to slip away from Meunier, who lunged with an outstretched right leg. In an attempt to avoid contact, the Madrid winger spun but was clipped on the ankle.

And although the initial consensus was that a three-week absence from action would suffice, Hazard continued to complain even when the swelling has reduced back to normal and further scans revealed a small crack in his ankle. It marked a lamentable end to his inaugural campaign at his new employers, while he told Madrid fans: ‘Judge me by my second season’.

Florentino Perez, Real Madrid president, has even held a grudge against the Belgian for injuring one his club’s prized possessions, as Meunier revealed on RTBF (via Marca) two years on from the incident.

Meunier then went on to claim the injury was a mere accident and that he had no intention of injuring his international teammate – but Perez, old-fashioned and stubborn as he is, was having none of it.

An injury to his ankle had, however, seemingly become a recurring issue for the charismatic winger seeing as he had a metal plate fitted after suffering an injury of a similar ilk at Chelsea in 2017. After his collision with Meunier, Madrid insisted that the hardware be changed and so, he went under the knife. This had a detrimental effect on his psychological state for seasons to come as Hazard lost his touch of being a springy, hard-to-tackle talisman.

Doctor Jose Palacios removed the plate at Madrid’s University Hospital at the back end of the 2021/22, though by then his suitability to the side’s winger berth had been fulfilled, courtesy of Vinícius Jr’s emergence as one of the best footballers in the world.

Will this incident be remembered as the moment that forced Hazard into entering a downwards trajectory?

What went wrong for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid?

Meunier’s tackle aside, there are a litany of reasons why Hazard was unable to emulate the form we were witness to during his stint in England’s top division.

Though, it is important to note that his injury record at Chelsea is glaringly stark to his at Madrid. During his seven-year stint at the Blues, the forward missed just 21 games but that tally jumped to 78 matches for Madrid across four seasons.

Injuries became a wicked foe of Hazard’s upon his high-profile, big-money move and certainly stunted any further development; which, in turn, gave more minutes to readily available stars.

Most notably Vinícius Jr (as mentioned earlier), who performed to an elite level week in week out during the 2022/23 and nailed down the left-wing spot as his, leaving Hazard next to no chance of forcing his way back into the fore of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans.

Rodrygo and Federico Valverde also asserted themselves as important parts of the Italian’s well-oiled machine and with the rebuild in full flow upon Hazard’s return, he was shunted out the exit door.

The weight of donning the number 7 shirt – previously worn by the enigmatic Cristiano Ronaldo – may have taken a toll on his time in Madrid, too. The cult hero’s departure left a void for Hazard and Co. to fill, primarily on a goalscoring front and the former Chelsea man struggled to hit the heights set by Ronaldo.

Maybe it was his inability to reach the lofty standards set by one of the sport’s most prestigious clubs. A club moulded by perennial winners, Madrid only sign the best of the best – perfectly shown by their Jude Bellingham coup – and while Hazard was the leading light at Chelsea, his role in the Los Blancos squad took a sharp step back, and it perhaps didn’t suit his plans.

Barring his struggles at Madrid, there’s no doubt that he has etched himself in football lore for his countless displays of trickery in the Chelsea shade of blue. Happy retirement, Eden!