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Eden Hazard recently announced his retirement from football, aged 32, after a trophy-laden 16-year career with three different clubs.
The Belgian enjoyed a marvellous seven-year spell with Chelsea which saw him become one of the best players in the world before departing for Real Madrid in 2019 for a club-record £130m.
Unfortunately, injuries plagued his time in the Spanish capital as he made just 76 appearances across a four-year stint. The Spanish outfit terminated his deal in the summer and he has now made the decision to hang up his boots for good.
Such news has prompted Football FanCast to take a look at 10 players who retired too early…
Former Chelsea and Fulham winger André Schürrle shocked fans across the world as he announced his retirement from football aged just 29.
The 57-cap Germany international, who won the World Cup with his nation in 2014, decided to call it quits on his career after Borussia Dortmund terminated his contract following an underwhelming loan spell with Spartak Moscow.
Schürrle explained that his time under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho at Chelsea left his self-esteem in tatters and he often struggled to deal with the pressures placed on him.
Following his retirement in 2020, the German admitted that the “depths became deeper and deeper, and the highs less and less” whilst also citing loneliness as a reason for his decision.
Brian Laudrup was a marvellous footballer but was persistently plagued by injury. Notwithstanding that, he still produced countless moments of magic and is considered one of the most talented players of his generation.
The Dane, who won the UEFA EURO in 1992, racked up 15 goals and 13 assists for Ajax in his final season, which is a remarkable return for a player who retired that summer.
Read More: Ranking all European Championship-winning teams
His chronic Achilles tendon injury was the catalyst for the decision to end his career, as he was told surgery wouldn’t guarantee a solution to the problem.
Fans were left stunned when Japan international Hidetoshi Nakata announced his retirement at the age of 29.
He’d just played every minute of the 2006 World Cup group stages, and yet, he decided to hang up his boots with one year remaining on his contract at Fiorentina.
The former Roma midfielder admitted he’d lost his love for the game: “Day after day I realised that football had just become a big business.
“I could feel that the team were playing just for money and not for the sake of having fun. I always felt that a team was like a big family, but it stopped being like that. I was sad, that’s why I stopped at only 29.”
Patrick Kluivert emerged as one of Europe’s best forwards during the 90s. The Dutchman enjoyed a goal-littered three-year spell at Ajax which prompted Serie A giants Milan to sign him in 1997.
But after just one year in Italy, he made the move to Barcelona, where he continued to display his prolific powers, netting 122 times in 257 outings for the Catalan club.
Kluivert’s career began to peter out after departing Barca in 2004, spending brief spells with Newcastle United, Valencia, PSV and Lille before announcing his retirement in 2008 at the age of just 31.
When Jack Wilshere, as a baby-faced teen, produced that magical display against Pep Guardiola’s relentless Barcelona side in 2011, many tipped the left-footed midfielder to become one of England’s greatest-ever players, but he failed to fulfil those initial expectations, largely due to injuries.
Although, his early promise was certainly fulfilled to some degree, as he went on to represent England 34 times whilst making just shy of 200 appearances for Arsenal, winning two FA Cups.
But he continued to be plagued by unrelenting injuries throughout much of his career and decided to step away from the professional game aged 30, and has now taken up a coaching role for the Gunners.
“In truth, it has been difficult to accept that my career has been slipping away in recent times due to reasons outside of my control whilst feeling that I have still had so much to give,” Wilshere said in a statement last year.
“However, having had time to reflect and talk with those closest with me, I know that now is the right time and, despite the difficult moments, I look back on my career with great pride at what I have achieved.”
The Dutch forward is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time after a prolific 301-goal career, which saw him collect three Ballon d’Or awards.
Sadly though, he played his final game of professional football at the age of 28 due to an ankle injury, which forced him to hang up his boots two years later after failing to recover from surgery.
The Dutchman’s farewell from football was emotional, as he waved goodbye to the 80,000 Milan fans present at the San Siro in August 1995, with even Fabio Capello – who was a stern operator – in tears.
In his autobiography, ‘Basta: My Life, My Truth’, he wrote: “Suddenly it hit me. As clear as day. It struck home. In front of the 80,000. I was witnessing my own farewell. Marco van Basten, footballer, was no more. You were watching someone who had ceased to be. You were clapping for someone who no longer existed. I ran and I clapped, but I was no longer there.”
Hazard announced his retirement from professional football this week, ending a glittering career which saw him reach heights very few players can achieve.
However, his sudden decline was totally unexpected by many, and left fans wondering; ‘what happened?’. Well, injuries indeed played a factor, but some voices within the media have suggested his mentality, particularly in Madrid, was to blame.
The Belgian’s first pre-season at Los Blancos saw him arrive a reported seven kilos ‘overweight’ – and that was said to cause friction between him and the president, Florentino Perez.
It wasn’t his first time struggling with weight upon returning to pre-season – he had a similar instance in 2015 with Chelsea and appeared a shadow of his former self that year.
32 is usually the summit of a player’s career, or at least, the point at which a career tends to take a steady decline, but certainly not retirement.
Whether his sharp drop-off was inflicted by injuries or commitment, it’s all speculation, so perhaps we should centre our focus and admiration around the magical moments he delivered for much of his career.
Here’s an excuse to marvel at Hazard at his best.
The Welsh wizard, Gareth Bale, will no doubt go down as one of Britain’s best-ever players. The left-footed wide player lit up the Premier League during his time at Tottenham Hotspur, winning the PFA Player of the Year award twice and creating a highlight reel of outrageous long-distance strikes in the process.
A record-breaking £85.3m move to Real Madrid beckoned in 2013, which saw the Southampton youth product become the most expensive footballer of all time, eclipsing Cristiano Ronaldo’s £80m transfer.
His nine-year stay in Spain’s capital saw him score over a century of goals across 258 appearances and he won every trophy on offer, including a remarkable five Champions League titles.
At the age of 33, Bale announced his retirement from football, and there’s little doubt he could’ve continued to play at the highest level had he wanted to, but perhaps his drive for the game dwindled.
The final few years of his Madrid career saw him booed by his own fans at times, which by his own admission, affected his confidence.
Zinedine Zidane’s final game was against Italy in the 2006 World Cup final, when he received a straight red card for infamously headbutting the chest of defender Marco Materazzi.
To end his illustrious career on such a sour note is why he makes this list. Could he have given us one more year to close the curtain on a high?
Whilst 34 certainly isn’t a prime age for a footballer, many do continue to play well into their late 30s, so it could be considered an early exit for the former Real Madrid midfielder. Indeed, he was at his dazzling best at that World Cup, particularly against Brazil in the quarter-final.
Zidane, popularly known as ‘Zizou’, cited poor form as the reason for hanging up his boots: “I didn’t want to go on for another year. The past two years I haven’t been on top form and that’s no good when you play at a club like Real.”
Manchester United’s iconic number seven, Eric Cantona, retired at the age of 30, having just won the Premier League title after netting 15 goals and providing 16 assists. So quite clearly, he still had the legs and ability to continue playing at the highest level for at least another two or three years.
His decision came as a total shock to United fans as they flocked to Old Trafford in the wake of the news, showing their disbelief.
A short and sweet statement was issued by the Frenchman, which read: “I have played professional football for 13 years, which is a long time. I now wish to do other things. I always planned to retire when I was at the top and, at Manchester United, I have reached the pinnacle of my career.
“In the last four and a half years, I have enjoyed my best football and had a wonderful time. I have had a marvellous relationship with the manager, coach, staff and players, and, not least, the fans. I wish Manchester United even more success in the future.”
The centre-forward traded his starring role at the Theatre of Dreams for a career in acting instead, appearing in films such as ‘Looking for Eric’ and ‘Elizabeth’.
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