Belgium captain Eden Hazard, 31, announced his retirement from the international level. His announcement is after his second-ranked team's heartbreaking World Cup group stage defeat.
Belgium overcame Canada, lost to Morocco, and settled for a scoreless draw with Croatia. This could only earn them a third-place finish in Group F. Hazard, the leader of the "golden generation," played in all three games.
The attacker scored 33 goals in 126 games after making his senior debut in 2008. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he led Belgium to a third-place result, their highest ever.
"I have decided to put an end to my international career. The succession is ready," Hazard wrote on Instagram.
Belgium defeated England in the third-place playoff in 2018. Belgium could not find that spark in Qatar and exit with a whimper.
Belgium had a disappointing season in which they only scored one goal in three games. They garnered more media attention for alleged off-field fights than their play. Hazard followed Belgium coach Roberto Martinez in resigning from the national team.
Hazard has struggled since moving to Real Madrid in 2019. Hazard played for Chelsea for seven seasons. There, he won the Premier League and Europa League twice. He has also won other prestigious individual awards while at Chelsea.
He has won the Champions League and two La Liga championships during his tenure in the Spanish capital. But he has only scored seven goals in all competitions.
