03 February 2024 , 13:21
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Eden Hazard has rejected any suggestion that his “bon vivant” approach to life led to his career ending prematurely.
In his first major interview since retiring, the former Chelsea star said that he never had any intention of playing until 40 years of age and blamed the injury issues that blighted his time at Real Madrid on playing so many games at a young age.
Hazard, who decided to quit the game last summer, told France Football : “My body is making me pay for all these years when I started early, burned without almost ever stopping, every blow taken.
“Not because I ate this or that. I tell myself, I can't prove it. Those who know everything will say 'It’s because he wasn’t paying attention'.
“I accept, everyone has their own opinion. At Real, I had a series of injuries. Sometimes I didn't even know how or why. You wake up, you get out of bed, you hurt yourself. Stop, what! My body is tired, it can't do it anymore. He needs to rest but he can't.
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“The body speaks and mine spoke to me well. In recent years, he's told me everything: 'Hey, you know what, go ahead, stop your bulls***, be careful, take care of yourself.'"
Hazard was accused of turning up five kilos overweight for pre-season at Real after joining from Chelsea in the summer of 2019.
And he claims that he took the decision to enjoy his off-season after leaving Stamford Bridge because he knew that the attention placed on him in the Spanish capital would be unrelenting.
He added: “With Chelsea, I have just finished a sick season, one of the best of my career. I said to myself: "Now I'm at Real, this is perhaps the last vacation where I'll be able to..."
Eden Hazard's four-year stint at Real Madrid ended in July (Getty Images)“And I let myself go like I let myself go every summer. Seven years in England, without a break at Christmas, giving everything, so when I have three or four weeks of vacation, "don't bother me", barbecues, rosé, all that. And that’s what allowed me to reset and start again. Afterwards, Real, things went badly, and that's it.”
However Hazard went on to admit that his diet was that of a “normal” person - and he saw nothing wrong with occasionally enjoying a drink with friends. Advice from nutritionists, he thinks, “sucks” and is “useless.”
“I'm not going to say that I was abusing it,” he added. “I wasn't paying attention. But I didn't go to McDonald's every day. You don't last 16 years pro. I didn't give it any importance. I'm a bon vivant, I like to eat. With friends, we have a drink. It happened to me the day before a match, eating at home, drinking a small bottle, tack.
“Oh my, Boxing Day, it's Christmas, raclettes, wine [he claps his hands]. We were going I don't know where [but he scored] goal, goal - while people tell me to be careful. It's weird. Diets sucks, it's useless. Well, it's good if you want to play until you're 40. I knew that wouldn't be my case. A little Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, it’s in the fridge all the time.”