Reece James reacts as former Chelsea star Eden Hazard announces his retirement from football
Chelsea captain Reece James has sent his wishes to former Blues player Eden Hazard, who announced his retirement from football earlier this week.
Hazard, who joined the West Londoners from LOSC Lille in 2012, instantly became a fan favourite with his performance as he went on to make a name for himself. Before departing the club in 2019, he made 352 appearances for the club and had 110 goals and 92 assists to his name.
He was among the top players in Europe because of the way he made a mark in football with his playing style, which led to him being compared to the likes of Lionel Messi. There is little argument that the Belgian was amongst the best players in the world during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Happy retirement legend 👑 pic.twitter.com/aj1kutPtBW
— Reece James (@ReeceJames) October 10, 2023
He could have continued his career at Chelsea and become a club legend but Real Madrid broke the bank for the Belgium forward. Reece James certainly thinks Hazard is one and has taken to X to make it clear.
Hazard was frequently injured during his stint at the Santiago Bernabeu, which prevented him from reaching the heights accomplished at Chelsea. He also didn’t play nearly enough games for Real and was viewed as being superfluous.
With Los Blancos, he struggled to complete even 100 appearances as he featured in 72 games, scoring seven goals in the process. He terminated his contract with the Spanish giants earlier in the summer and became a free agent. Little did we suspect then that
It’s unfortunate to see one of the best players retire in this manner since he merited so much admiration, but after leaving Chelsea, his life took a turn for the worse. He was so phenomenal that he was compared to Messi at his peak; this shows how dominant he was in the Premier League. He undoubtedly would have had a shot to win a Ballon d’Or if he had maintained his tremendous performance in Madrid.
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James now has the opportunity to follow in Hazard’s footsteps and write his own chapter in club history. The English star was handed the armband earlier this year and is now primed to play a leading role in Mauricio Pochettino’s plans. Hopefully, he goes on leave a lasting legacy like Hazard in Blue.
