According to reports, Real Madrid superstar Eden Hazard is considering ending his international career after Belgium crashed out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup group stages.
Roberto Martinez’s side opened their campaign with a fortuitous 1-0 victory against Canada, in which the North American team was by far the better side.
Their second game ended in a 2-0 defeat against Morocco. While Belgium managed a draw against Croatia in their third game, it wasn’t enough for the Red Devils to proceed to the next round.
Hazard, who had a tournament to forget in Qatar, is now contemplating retirement from international football, as reported by Mario Cortegana of MARCA.
Eden Hazard was one of the best players for Belgium during their incredible run to the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup. However, since then, he has been plagued with injuries and his form has dropped drastically.
The former Chelsea superstar has failed to find his feet for Real Madrid and finds himself in a difficult spot in terms of his club and international career.
The group stage exit is particularly painful for Belgium, as it was possibly the last major tournament where their “golden generation” of players played together. Lukaku, De Bruyne, and Hazard all had a disappointing tournament in Qatar, and their coach, Roberto Martinez, has already announced his decision to step down from his role.
Pundit left baffled by Real Madrid superstar Eden Hazard’s poor performance for Belgium in the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Hazard is undoubtedly one of the best players to have ever played for Belgium. However, the Real Madrid superstar was miles off the high standards he has set for himself during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour was left baffled by Hazard’s performances and suggested that a lack of application was the reason for the superstar’s alarming decline. He recently said on talkSPORT (via The Boot Room):
“Hazard, what’s happened to Hazard? I don’t know what’s happened to him. It’s interesting, Jose Mourinho – we had Mourinho on here – said Eden Hazard could have been one of the best in the world. But his application, his work rate, his training, he didn’t put it in every day in training. If he did, he could have been up there with the best.”