"I wouldn't play anywhere for money!" Hazard on rejected MLS & Saudi moves

James Shearman

• Updated: 19 Oct 2023 17:48 BST
• 3 min read

Eden Hazard has explained his decision to reject moves to the MLS and the Saudi Pro League.

Hazard left Real Madrid at the end of the 2023/24 season and had been without a club since, before retiring earlier this month.

There had been plenty of speculation of a move to the United States or Saudi Arabia, joining either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, but those ideas did not interest the Belgian.

READ: Real Madrid set to be REJECTED by Serie A star

"I wouldn’t play anywhere for money," he said after playing in a charity match on Wednesday, where he assisted Kylian Mbappe's dad, Wilfrid.

"I’m 32 years old and have a whole life ahead of me to enjoy away from the playing fields."

This is an unusual mindset for a professional footballer to have, as they usually look to keep playing as long as they are on lucrative contracts.

However, the former Chelsea man has always been authentic and clearly loved playing football at the very highest level - something his body will no longer allow him to do.

Hazard's disastrous Real Madrid move

Eden Hazard’s transfer to Madrid had long been a case of when, not if, he would go, but as it’s turned out, the ‘when’ was much more critical than it seemed.

Hazard's exit spelled the end of what has been a miserable past four years for the 32-year-old, ever since he made the €115 million move from Chelsea in 2019.

Coming off his most impressive individual season at Chelsea, the then-28-year-old was granted his dream move to Los Blancos as a sure-fire Galactico.

However, arriving overweight for pre-season laid down a marker for a dreadful move. A talisman, who often carried his team to success, was brought along for the ride, with injuries and poor discipline to blame.

After arriving at Real Madrid, the once unplayable Belgian had more injuries than goal contributions.

He made just three starts, and scored only one goal in his final campaign before being released on a free transfer.