Football: Eden Hazard announces that he is ending his international career

Europe 1 with AFP 2:43 p.m., December 07, 2022

The star of the Belgian football team Eden Hazard announced Wednesday on the social network Instagram that he was ending his international career, after the elimination of the Red Devils from the group stage of the World Cup-2022 in Qatar.

"A page is turned today... Thank you for your love. Thank you for your unparalleled support. Thank you for all this happiness shared since 2008. I have decided to put an end to my international career. The next generation is ready. You I will miss you," wrote the 31-year-old Real Madrid striker.

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A post shared by Eden Hazard (@hazardeden_10)

126 caps, 33 goals

The captain of the Red Devils at the World Cup has worn the Belgian jersey 126 times, scoring 33 goals.

He had celebrated his first selection in November 2008 against Luxembourg when he was 17 years and 316 days old.

He therefore wore the Belgium jersey for the last time on December 1 when he came into play in the last minutes of the group stage match against Croatia (0-0).

This result did not allow the Belgians to qualify for the round of 16 of the Qatari World Cup.

At the end of the meeting, Hazard had expressed doubts about the future of his international career, indicating that he was going on vacation to think about it.

Little used in the club for the past three seasons, the Real Madrid player was counting on the tournament in Qatar to show that he "was not finished".

"With the rhythm of the matches, I will find my level. I haven't become bad in a few months," he explained.

His announcement on Wednesday raises fears of other departures from the Belgian team.

If goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (30) has assured that he will continue to wear the national jersey, other executives like Romelu Lukaku (29) and Kevin De Bruyne (31) have not yet spoken.