Topics: Eden Hazard, Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Real Madrid, Chelsea
Eden Hazard says he turned down "a lot of money" from a club that would make contact "every year".
Hazard, who announced his retirement in October 2023 at the age of 32, is best known for spells at Chelsea and Real Madrid but his spell with Ligue 1 side Lille was arguably the most important.
After making his professional debut for Lille in 2007, the Belgian went on to make 194 appearances for the club, scoring 50 goals and winning the 2010-11 league title before earning a £30 million move.
He would go on to become one of the world's best at Chelsea, scoring 110 goals in 352 games.
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A big-money move to Real Madrid, believed to be worth an initial £88.3 million, materialised in the summer of 2019, but his career could have taken an interesting turn had he accepted a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG were long-term admirers of Hazard. In fact, they were in contact "every year", according to the man himself, who gave an insight into their interest this week.
Speaking to RMC, as per Mundo Deportivo, Hazard said he turned down a move to the Ligue 1 giants after making a promise to himself.
"Every year I had contact with PSG," he said. "I was very clear about it. When I left Lille, I told myself: 'I don't want to return to France to any other club than Lille. If I ever go back, it will be to play for Lille and finish my career'.
"For the people of Lille, for the north, I didn't want to go and play for PSG. It was a big club. Nasser (Al-Khelaïfi) would come, there was a lot of money, there was always a team to play in the Champions League."
Hazard added: "Since things were going so well at Chelsea, my dream afterwards was to go to Real Madrid, not PSG."
After being restricted to just 54 league appearances across an injury-plagued four-year spell in the Spanish capital, his contract at Los Blancos was terminated in the summer of 2023.
Still, there were positives to take from his time in Madrid.
"I felt like a kid during my presentation at the Bernabeu," said Hazard. "Before arriving at Real Madrid, I heard a lot of warnings about the dressing room and the difficulty of dealing with the players and all that kind of thing.
"But the reality was completely different; the welcome was fantastic from everyone, from Zidane to the coaching staff and the players. I felt very comfortable from my first day at Real Madrid. Ramos, Modric, and Kroos welcomed me. Everyone was great, and everything went perfectly."
Hazard added: “I didn't come here to replace Cristiano Ronaldo. He scored a lot of goals every game; sometimes I didn't even get one. I came here to be Eden Hazard and enjoy myself."
