Hazard drops transfer hint after Belgium World Cup opener

Suraj Radia

• 24 Nov 2022 16:07 GMT
• 2 min read

Eden Hazard caused a stir after posting a picture on Instagram, leading to speculation that he may be keen on a return to one of his former clubs.

The winger posted a picture with Jonathan David after Belgium’s win over Canada in their World Cup opener and Hazard opted to tag the striker’s club, Lille, in the post.

Hazard began his professional career with the French side, making nearly 200 appearances for the club across five seasons before completing a £32 million move to Chelsea in 2012.

TIME TO GO: Hazard admits he might have to leave Real Madrid

The 31-year-old has been told he can leave Real Madrid in January, having suffered a dramatic decline in form and a host of injuries since joining the Spaniards in 2019.

Belgium’s victory over Canada puts them top of Group F after the first round of games, with Hazard playing 62 minutes in the unconvincing 1-0 win.

Homecoming for Hazard?

Hazard has made just 51 La Liga appearances in more than three years and admitted recently that he sees his time in Madrid as a failure and that he will likely depart in the summer when he enters the final year of his contract.

However, Hazard insisted he would not leave Real in January as his family are settled in Madrid and he still wishes to contribute to the club if given the opportunity.

Lille, meanwhile, sit outside the European places in Ligue 1, meaning that financing a move for Hazard would be difficult, with Real looking to recoup as much of their £115m outlay as possible.

A move could be more likely if David ends up leaving Lille, with Manchester United having been linked with a €50m move for the 21-year-old as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo.

READY MADE: David a '€50m bargain' to replace Ronaldo at Old Trafford

Both David and Hazard will be desperate to show off their talents in Qatar in the hopes of attracting the attention of prospective teams ahead of the January transfer window.