Eden Hazard's goodbye message to the Chelsea WhatsApp group after leaving for Real Madrid left his team-mates in disbelief. The 34-year-old left Stamford Bridge in 2019 after seven years at the club and six major trophies won, including two Premier League titles.
In fitting fashion, Hazard delivered the Europa League trophy - the second of his career - in his last game for Chelsea where he scored twice in a 4-1 win in the final over Arsenal. An £89million transfer plus add-ons to the Spanish giants soon beckoned for the Belgian magician.
While it was surely an emotional departure from the club he joined when he was just 21 years old, he offered up a short and sweet message to his fellow team-mates when exiting their group chat. It was only when the text was sent that it sunk in for former team-mate Emerson Palmieri that Hazard was no longer a Chelsea player.
The Italy international - who joined Chelsea a year before Hazard left - revealed that there minimal activity in the players' group chat that summer due to players enjoying their post-season holidays. Speaking to ESPN Brazil, the West Ham star said: "On the WhatsApp group, the last move there was Hazard's farewell.
"He said goodbye to the boys and such, since then, we don't know anything else. It's weird. He sent a 'thank you, I love you guys', and then it showed 'Eden Hazard left the group'. I said damn, he really left." Despite much fanfare following his move to Madrid, Hazard endured a horrific four-year tenure at the Santiago Bernabeu.
For much of his time in Spain, he was riddled with injuries and made just 76 appearances for the club, during which he scored only seven goals and contributed 12 assists. After the final season of his career in the 2022/23 campaign in which he played just 10 times, he reached a mutual agreement with Madrid to terminate his contract.
After speculation regarding his next career move, Hazard stunned the footballing world by deciding to retire from the sport at 32 years of age. The former Chelsea hero recently spoke out about his time in Madrid and lamented the timing of his move to the Spanish capital for one reason in particular.
Former Chelsea man Eden Hazard is still without a club
The Chelsea icon had a forgettable stint at Real Madrid (Image: Getty)
"It was my dream club", Hazard said about Real Madrid in a recent interview uploaded to Reddit. "I think I was a bit unlucky [with the time I arrived] with COVID. If you wanna know the real story, I went to Dallas for surgery, and then I came back to Madrid, it was COVID."
His troubles didn't receive much compassion from Toni Kroos who appeared to slam Hazard's impact at Madrid when speaking on his podcast Einfach mal Luppen. The German icon said: "We had another player who came for a lot of money and basically let his career die.
"It was a lot of money, I think everyone would say that wasn't a good transfer. But let's be positive." Kroos - who retired from football last season - has spoken about his former team-mate in the past and admitted he doesn't feel sorry for Hazard.
"Of course it's a difficult situation, but pity is out of place in football," he said to Eleven Sports. I don't think Eden has a bad life. You can feel sorry for people who have a much worse life than him. It's not about money, I don't feel sorry for anyone in football."
football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel
Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Want to keep up to date with the breaking and important Chelsea stories whilst on the move? Well now you can!
Click this link to follow the football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel, where you'll be kept up to date on the latest Blues news wherever you are.
Just remember to turn on the notifications once you've followed, and you won't miss a beat!