Eden Hazard featured in three World Cups
Led Belgium to a memorable third-place finish in 2018
Retired playmaker says there is less pressure on current crop
Although the 23rd edition of the is rapidly approaching, Eden Hazard is more likely to be found cycling, on a padel court or perfecting his swing on the golf course than with a ball at his feet. While evergreen stars including , , and are set to grace the tournament in North America, the former Belgium talisman will not be among them, having hung up his boots in 2023.
“I’ve taken quite a step back from football,” the retired winger revealed in an exclusive interview with FIFA. “It was taking up maybe 95 per cent of my time, which was fine, because that’s what I liked doing, but now I’ve moved on.”
Few honours eluded Hazard during his club career, with the Belgian claiming a Ligue 1 title at Lille, multiple Premier League crowns at Chelsea and the UEFA Champions League at Real Madrid. However, it was in the colours of the Red Devils that he truly cemented his place in football folklore, starring in three unforgettable World Cup campaigns.
“I played my first World Cup match in Brazil in 2014,” he recalled. “It was a new experience, and, actually, a good learning curve for that crop of players. We reached the quarter-finals and lost to Argentina. So yes, we could have done better, because it wasn’t a vintage Argentina side, but they had Messi, and if he’s in your team, you always have a chance of winning.
“We didn’t have a bad World Cup. In fact, we handled it rather well, both individually and as a team. It set the stage for what was to come.”
Without the heartbreak in Brazil four years earlier, Belgium's third-place finish in 2018 may never have come to pass. For his part, Hazard enjoyed a stellar second World Cup, earning the adidas Silver Ball award as the second-best player of the tournament behind winner and former Real Madrid team-mate Modrić.
“I’m not going to say that I was a cut above everyone else at the World Cup in 2018, because there have always been players who were better than me, but I felt really strong at that tournament,” Hazard said. “I was at the top of my game not just in terms of my football, but also physically and mentally.”
With the two-time Premier League winner at the peak of his powers, Belgium impressed throughout the group stage before defeating Japan 3-2 in a dramatic round-of-16 encounter and overcoming Neymar’s Brazil 2-1 in the quarter-finals. Their impressive run was halted in the semi-finals by eventual champions France, who ground out a narrow 1-0 win. Roberto Martinez’s side responded in style, beating England 2-0 in the third-place match, with Hazard among the goalscorers.
“For me, there was no shame in that defeat against France,” he reflected. “Two or three days after the match, you fixate on the fact that you missed out on a World Cup final. But afterwards, you remind yourself that you couldn’t have done any more. It still feels like we gave everything and when you lose in that way, you can’t really be too hard on yourself.”
The Red Devils were greeted almost like champions upon their return to Brussels’ Grand Place a few days later – one of Hazard’s fondest memories of that epic journey – where the Belgians promised their fans they would be back again four years later in Qatar. However, their next World Cup campaign never got off the ground. Despite beating Canada 1-0 in their opening match, the Europeans crashed out at the group stage. Many felt Belgium had lost the physical and mental edge that defined their 2018 campaign, but were they really so far away from another remarkable run?
“I just think that we needed to score against Croatia (0-0 in the final group game),” Hazard explained. “We played well and if we’d have won, we’d have scraped through the group. After that, it’s knockout football where anything can happen. We still had so much quality in the side, and we knew each other inside out. The young players were coming through and knocking on the door. I’m not saying that we would’ve won the World Cup had we gone through – I don’t know – but I don’t think we were that far away.”
Having grown up watching the likes of , and the first generation of French World Cup winners, Hazard has achieved his dream of playing on football's biggest stage. He helped Belgium return to the competition after a 12-year absence, becoming the face of a team widely regarded as a "golden generation" – a label he has consistently downplayed.
“That’s journalist-speak”, commented the 35-year-old. “'Golden generation', 'silver generation' – you could call it whatever you want. We knew that we had a great group of players performing for top clubs who were winning trophies every year, and we were all a similar age and maturing at the same time. The World Cup is a tough trophy to win. Yes, we could have won one! We had a great run. The squad and the country are extremely proud of what we did in 2018.”
A fan this time around, Hazard is preparing to follow the World Cup with great interest, and is backing “ or ”, or even “ or ” to take home the trophy while also tipping Willian Pacho’s to “pull off a surprise run”. He will be keeping a particularly close eye on his successors, such as Charles De Ketelaere and Jeremy Doku, as well as his former team-mates Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, as Belgium face , and in .
“There’s no doubt that Belgium are the best side in that group,” affirmed the ex-Chelsea man. “But that first game is never easy. The squad is a mix of the old guard and a new generation who are starting to come through. The fact that they’re not being tipped as favourites will allow them to play with more freedom and composure. Expectations in Belgium are high, of course, but less so than in 2018 and 2022.”
In a fitting twist, Rudi Garcia – the French coach who handed Hazard his professional debut at Lille in 2008 – took over the national team 18 months ago. While a surprising choice for some, Hazard has full faith in his former boss.
“He hasn’t coached a national team before, but I don’t think that’s a problem,” the 126-time senior international observed. “He has enough experience for the job and he’ll know how to handle it. He’s a coach who speaks his mind and he’s a really great person. I think that’s exactly what we need.”
For the time being, Hazard has no plans to head to North America to watch the World Cup in person. Yet, as he divides his time between family life and helping to build a new padel complex in his village of Braine-le-Comte, the Belgian football legend has not ruled out a last-minute trip.
“I think the kids would be happy to go and watch a game,” said Hazard who, one way or another, will continue to be part of the World Cup fabric.
Sources: FIFA Official
