Chelsea legend Eden Hazard returned to Stamford Bridge on Saturday 11 October to take part in a charity match involving legends from both Chelsea and Liverpool. Long gone are the days of the tricky Belgian strutting his stuff on the wing – but what did fans make of his 70-minute display as the Merseysiders ran out 1–0 victors?
Both Premier League sides, during the international break, put on a charity match for fans to tune in to; the ultimate reason was to raise money for the Chelsea and LFC Foundations but watching the likes of Hazard once again was also on the agenda.
The Belgian – one of the best wingers to ever play in the Premier League – was joined by the likes of John Terry and Petr Cech, while Liverpool's squad included former stars such as Robbie Keane and Champions League winner Ryan Babel, who opened and closed the scoring in their narrow win over the Blues.
Hazard's 70-Minute Performance Against Liverpool Legends Praised
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Hazard, who retired from football in October 2023 after struggling to perform in Spain for Real Madrid, was met with a round of applause when his name was called out by Stamford Bridge's stadium announcers. Now 34 years of age, the LOSC Lille academy graduate started on the left in support of Diego Costa at centre-forward.
As he did at the apex of his powers for the west Londoners, La Louviere-born Hazard was willing to pick up the ball in the pockets of space and burst the opposition with – what looked like, at least – relative ease.
In the 65th minute, he had the chance to draw first blood. Spreading the ball out wide, the dainty forward drifted into the box, dummied it for his teammate and then received an inch-perfect ball. He lacked any final product, but it was reminiscent of his former days.
And although it looked as if he had lost a yard of pace since hanging up his boots two years ago, the speed of thought is – rather evidently – still there. His sharp movements between players and fleet-footed instincts really showed that class is permanent.
Often one step ahead of the Liverpool defence, Hazard enjoyed picking up pockets of space between the lines as he drifted across their back four. As evidenced by the footage of his 70-minute cameo below, he lifted bums off seats with his deft touches around the corner, his intricate feet and daring passes in behind.
Watch footage of Hazard strutting his stuff at Stamford Bridge vs Liverpool:
And fans online, who have missed a player of Hazard's quality since his departure in 2019, have weighed in on his return to Chelsea's stomping ground. To start, while posting a picture of Hazard's audacious rabona cross, one put: "Eden Hazard still got it."
"Hazard subbed off to a standing ovation. What a player," another wrote before a third supporter added: "Just finished watching the Chelsea Legends vs Liverpool Legends match live. Man, Hazard still knows how to ball." Before referencing the clash between Chelsea's Costa and Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel, one said:
"Hazard playing like he's been training since retirement. Meanwhile, he didn't even arrive early to have the chance to train with the others... class is just permanent. And btw, Costa ain't changing anytime soon."
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"Shouldn't have taken Hazard off. He created almost all our chances," another fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter) as a final supporter concluded by suggesting that Hazard is still, clearly, a very talented player. They wrote: "Just finished watching the Chelsea Legends vs Liverpool Legends match live. Man, Hazard still knows how to ball."
On his return to Stamford Bridge, a place he called home for seven years between 2012 and 2019, Hazard was interviewed at half-time. To the roaring home contingent, he said: "It's always good to be here, back at The Bridge with all the fans. Let's see if we can score one goal, at least, so let's go!" That may not have been the case for Hazard and his fellow teammates – but it was still a memorable occasion.