Chelsea legend Eden Hazard announced his retirement from professional football on Tuesday, and the club are paying tributes to the Belgian forward. The club's fans have decided to follow suit and honor their retired hero by displaying his banner at their upcoming game against Arsenal.
Hazard established himself as one of the world's best players during his time at Chelsea, consistently performing at world-class level for the English side. He left them for Real Madrid in 2019, earning them a sum €100 million after seven great years of service.
Chelsea are due to face London rivals Arsenal immediately after the international break on October 21, and the fans have decided to honor the Belgian. They revealed via X (formerly Twitter) that the banner originally designed when he was at the club will be displayed prior to kickoff against the Gunners at Stamford Bridge.
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The club's fans took to X to express their feelings after learning that the banner of their legend will be on display at their stadium once more.
One fan tweeted:
"We HAVE to win now..."
Another added:
"I'm gonna cry when I see it"
Here are a selection of tweets from Chelsea fans on X:
Chelsea will have a huge task on their hands when they face Mikel Arteta and his in-form, second-placed Arsenal side in west London.
Eden Hazard is undoubtedly among the best Chelsea players ever
Following multiple rumors in the media over a potential transfer in 2012, Lille star Eden Hazard announced his decision in an unorthodox way, via his Twitter account. He joined Chelsea for £32 million from the French club, and the rest was history.
Hazard was an instant hit at Stamford Bridge, delivering an assist for Branislav Ivanovic on his debut. It was only fitting that he scored and assisted on his final appearance for the club in the 2019 UEFA Europa League final against Arsenal.
In his seven years at Stamford Bridge, Hazard won every available team trophy bar the UEFA Champions League, including a raft of individual honors. He made 352 appearances for the club, scoring 110 goals and contributing 92 assists.
The Belgian arrived at Chelsea after the golden generation of Didier Drogba and John Terry had passed their peak, and became the face of the club for the next seven seasons. It is no wonder that he won the club's Player of the Season accolade four times.
In terms of pure numbers, Eden Hazard is up there with the best at Chelsea. The Belgian was able to provide the Blues faithful with moments that they will never forget, and they love him for it.
