Eden Hazard says goodbye to Belgian national team

Following a below-par outing at the FIFA most prestigious tournament in Qatar, Belgium skipper Eden Hazard has drawn the curtain on his international career.

Belgium kicked off their World Cup campaign in a sloppy manner after a slim win over Canada with a loss to Morrocco and a draw to Croatia that saw them crash out in the Group stages.

The shambolic performance from the Red Devils in their final group game has seen the resignation of their coach Roberto Martinez stepping down from the team’s coaching role.

And now the ex-Chelsea and now Real Madrid man has followed suit by retiring after making his publicly known via social media [Instagram], thanking everyone for their support and love since he graced the international stage.

The winger was included in the team nicknamed [The Golden Generation] with Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Thibaut, making Belgium a formidable side.

Ever since making his debut in 2008 as a substitute against Luxembourg, Hazard boasts of 33 goals in 126 appearances for the Red and blacks.

He made his cameo in a major competition on the international scene at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where they made it to the quarters before leading his side at the Euro 2016, losing to wales in the quarterfinals yet again.

Four years later, he graced the stage at Russia’s 2018 World Cup, losing by a lone goal to winners France. The curse of the quarters befell them again at the rescheduled Euro 2020, where they lost to Italy.

For a player such as Hazard exiting the National team, this shows he has given his best when called on as Belgium will look to prepare ahead for future tournaments to make amends for this year’s poor performance.

Akinnifesi Olumide