Eden Hazard has announced his retirement from international football, aged just 31.
The Real Madrid forward captained Belgium at the World Cup in Qatar, but has now called time on his involvement with the team. Belgium were knocked out of the tournament in the group stages following a narrow 1-0 win over Canada, a shock 2-0 loss to Morocco and 0-0 draw with Croatia.
Hazard has now followed manager Roberto Martinez in stepping away from the team following the dismal World Cup performance. He retires having scored 33 goals in 126 appearances for the Red Devils since making his debut back in 2008.
He wrote on Instagram : “A page turns today… Thank you for your love. Thank you for your unparalleled support. Thank you for all this happiness shared since 2008. I have decided to put an end to my international career. The succession is ready. I will miss you.”
Belgium striker Michy Batshuayi was among those to reply. "Legend. Thank you for everything my brother," he wrote. Defender Jan Vertonghen replied with some hands up emojis, while goalkeeper Simon Mignolet added: "Thanks for all those amazing moments Eden!"
Midfielder Axel Witzel wrote: "Thank you for everything my dear." Forward Kevin Mirallas added: "Thanks for everything little brother." Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois posted a heart emoji and a crying face, while Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Jr added "Legend" and a heart emoji.
After being courted by France, Hazard made his international debut for Belgium against Luxembourg in November 2008. He has been a regular ever since, playing at the 2014 World Cup, Euro 2016, the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020. He has captained Belgium since 2015.
His decision comes after a tournament that was undermined by frequent reports of infighting and division among the Belgium squad in Qatar. The so-called “Golden Generation”, which includes Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, fell flat after finishing third at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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Recent reports suggest that Martinez’s decision to stick with Hazard as captain caused friction in the squad. Many players reportedly felt that Hazard was failing to perform and that he should be dropped from the side.
Martinez did bench Hazard for their final Group F game against Croatia, but by then it was too late, with Belgium failing to qualify behind the Croatians and Morocco.
Hazard’s parting statement makes reference to “the succession”, with his retirement intended to allow younger players the chance to step up ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Hazard’s teammate at Real Madrid, has already confirmed he will be staying on with the team. Courtois also gave a damning assessment of his team’s performances at the World Cup.
"In this World Cup and in the Euros we were not ourselves, it is a bit embarrassing. We will see what will happen, who will stay, who will not stay,” he told AS. "Football, it's going fast. In March there are already qualifying matches for the Euros.
"It's hard to call yourself a 'Golden Generation' when you don't win anything. We are not a golden generation, we are a generation with a lot of talent and great players from all over Europe. We showed in Russia 2018 that we were a Belgium that played good football."
