03 October 2023 , 11:57
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Eden Hazard will finally make his first return to football since being released by Real Madrid in a charity match later this month.
Hazard endured a nightmare spell at the Bernabeu after a record-breaking move from Chelsea in the summer of 2019. But while he was widely regarded as one of the Premier League's best players during his time with the Blues, his period in the Spanish capital was little short of a disaster.
He would make just 76 appearances during his four years with Los Blancos, scoring a dismal seven goals in all competitions. With Hazard clearly underperforming, Real chiefs took the decision to release him in the summer, a year before his contract was due to expire.
Since then, he has failed to find a new club and has even reportedly flirted with retiring from the game altogether. The Belgian is now set to finally take his first steps back into football, months after his release.
According to L'Equipe, Hazard has signed up to take part in a charity match in Calais on 18 October. The attacker will feature for Varietes Club de France in the game, to be held at the Stade de L’Epopee.
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VCF were founded in 1971 and brings together some of football's greatest players. They feature in around 40 charity games every year, going up against different teams around the world.
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Eden Hazard will play in a charity game later this month, in his first taste of football since being released by Real Madrid (Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)Among Hazard's team-mates will be 1998 World Cup winners Didier Deschamps, Laurent Blanc, Robert Pirès and Christian Karembeu. He will also line up alongside former Lille teammates Mathieu Debuchy and Yohan Cabaye.
It is a miserable turn for Hazard's career to take, from the highs of winning two Premier League titles, two Europa Leagues, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup with Chelsea. But he fell out of favour under a succession of managers in Madrid.
A succession of injuries also played a part in ruining his time with the La Liga giants. After ripping up his £400,000 per week contract in the summer, Real thanked the Belgian for his efforts.
A statement from the Spanish side read: "Real Madrid CF and Eden Hazard have reached an agreement whereby the player will be released from the club as of June 30, 2023.
"Hazard has been part of our club for four seasons, in which he has won eight titles: one European Cup, one Club World Cup, one European Super Cup, two leagues, one Copa del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups.
"Real Madrid wants to express its affection for Eden Hazard and wishes him and his entire family the best of luck in this new stage."