Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard experiment finally over as former Chelsea man to become free agent in summer

Eden Hazard is leaving Real Madrid after four seasons and becomes one of the most disappointing signings in the recent history of the Spanish club. Real Madrid announced on Saturday that the player will leave the club in the summer despite his deal expiring in the summer of 2024, as the two sides have reached an agreement to end the deal early. 

“Real Madrid and Eden Hazard have reached an agreement and the player will be released from the club as of June 30, 2023. Eden Hazard has been part of our club for four seasons, in which he has won 8 titles: 1 Champions League, 1 Club World Cup, 1 European Super Cup, 2 Leagues, 1 Copa del Rey and 2 Spanish Super Cups,” the club said in a statement. “Real Madrid wants to express its affection for Eden Hazard and wishes him and his entire family the best of luck in this new stage.” 

The Spanish club spent around €100 million in the summer of 2019 to sign Hazard from Chelsea after the player personally pushed to leave the English side with his deal expiring the year after. There were a lot of expectations around the Belgian player, who arrived at the club the season after Cristiano Ronaldo left Madrid to join Juventus. However, the results were more than disappointing, as Hazard only scored one goal in his first season at the club. The years after were not better, also due to injuries, and Hazard scored a total of seven goals in 73 matches. In his fourth and last season, the attacker only played ten games overall and played less than four hundred minutes in all competitions. 

Even if Hazard has not been part of the Real Madrid’s successes, during his spell at the club the Spanish team won every competition possible, adding to his trophy case.

The relationship between the Real Madrid fans and the player completely broke down after the first leg of the 2021 Champions League semifinals, when the team coached by Zinedine Zidane lost to Chelsea, but Hazard was spotted laughing at the end of the game with his former teammates. That was a defining and emblematic moment of his Real Madrid spell.

Hazard played with Lille, Chelsea and Real Madrid in his career but it’s not clear yet what will happen in his near future. There are rumors about a potential retirement and the final decision will be taken in the coming weeks.