Chelsea hero Eden Hazard has revealed Paris Saint-Germain tried to sign him every year he was with the Blues.
Hazard was a guest on RMC’s “Nuits du Cazarre Enchaîné” program on Friday evening. During that show, he revealed PSG’s relentless attempts to get him from Chelsea during his career.
The Belgian is now retired, after a career which saw him play for Lille, Chelsea and then Real Madrid. His time at Stamford Bridge, of course, was the most successful.
Chelsea success meant no need to leave
Hazard joined Chelsea in 2012 after a European battle for his signature and went on to become one of their greatest players. Most would have him in the Premier League’s best ever as well.
He made 352 appearances for the Blues in total, scoring 110 goals in the process. That saw him win two Premier League titles, two Europa League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup. He was also named Chelsea’s Player of the Year four times, a record at Stamford Bridge.
A move to Real Madrid in 2019 fulfilled a boyhood dream. But despite a record transfer fee, he was unable to live up to expectations. Injuries limited him 76 appearances, before his contract was terminated a year early.
PSG repeat rejection
It was a disappointing end to what had been a glittering career at Chelsea before that. And things could have been very different too. Hazard has now revealed he was constantly targeted by PSG throughout his time in England.
“Every year I’ve had contact with PSG,” he said.
“In my mind, it was very clear. When I left Lille, I told myself: ‘I won’t want to return to France to play for any other club than Lille. If I ever come back, it will be to play for Lille, to finish my career, for example.’ For the people of Lille, for the North, I didn’t want to go play for PSG.
“It was a great club. Nasser (Al-Khelaïfi) was coming, there was a lot of money, and they always had a team capable of playing in the Champions League.
“Since things were going so well at Chelsea, my dream afterward was to go to Real Madrid, not to PSG and then go to Real Madrid.”