Hazard's vineyard, bottle of wine, and 'driver's job'

Amidst the vineyards of Lecce, Eden Hazard is no longer the star of Bernabeu or Stamford Bridge; he simply wants to be remembered as a good player and a fun-loving person.

If Italy were shaped like a boot, Lecce would be at the heel, where the sunlight falls slowly and the wind blows through endless rows of vines.

There, it's hard to recognize the image of Eden Hazard who was once the focal point of those frenzied Champions League nights. The roar of the Bernabeu or the fiery evenings at Stamford Bridge now seem like echoes from another world .

When the spotlight fades

It's been almost three years since Hazard retired at the age of 32, ending a career cut short by injuries at Real Madrid. No lavish farewell, no farewell exhibition match. Just a very quiet departure.

In the world of football, where everything is exaggerated and amplified, Hazard's departure was the opposite.

Hazard has achieved many accomplishments in his playing career. Photo: Reuters .

"Life goes by so fast," he said. The phrase sounds familiar, but coming from a player who has lived through the grueling pace of the Premier League and La Liga, it carries a different weight. Hazard didn't say it with regret, but rather as someone who had already enjoyed it.

Many former players describe the void after retirement as a freefall. For Hazard, it was a necessary pause. He spoke about his family with rare sincerity.

Wife, five children, mornings of dropping them off and picking them up, unhurried dinners. "Right now I'm more like a taxi driver than a football player," he laughed. But there was no hint of sarcasm in that laugh.

Perhaps for the first time in his life, he didn't have to run.

Heritage needs no monuments.

Hazard has been at the center of many important milestones. He was the heart and soul of Chelsea's two Premier League titles. He captained Belgium at the 2018 World Cup, when the "golden generation" finished third. He was part of Real Madrid's Champions League-winning team in 2022.

Those achievements would be enough to build a monument. But Hazard isn't seeking that kind of recognition.

He analyzed the differences between the Premier League and La Liga in a calm tone. In England, you have to run until you're exhausted. In Spain, you can control the pace. He adapted and shone in both environments, although his journey in Madrid didn't reach the heights he had hoped for.

The Belgian star chose a quiet life after retiring. Photo: Reuters .

For him, the 2018 World Cup wasn't a source of regret for missing out on a trophy. It was a source of pride for what the whole team had achieved. "It wasn't because we won, but because of what we built together," Hazard recalled. There, Hazard spoke as someone who understood that the value of football lies not just in titles.

Now, amidst the barrels of wine in Lecce, Hazard talks about football as he talks about wine. Not just a single moment of brilliance in a match, but a long process that takes time to mature. Perhaps that is the most fitting description of his career.

Hazard doesn't want to be remembered as a legend: "Just a good player and a funny guy." In an era where all superlatives are easily exaggerated, that choice sounds almost an interesting contradiction.

He envisioned his future not on the coaching bench or in the executive office, but as a white-haired old man sitting at a dining table, surrounded by his grandchildren and a bottle of wine.

Football often celebrates those who conquer the highest peaks. But sometimes, what's more memorable is how a star accepts their departure. Hazard didn't fight against oblivion; he embraced it naturally.

And perhaps it is that very gentleness that is his most enduring legacy.

Hazard's son scores a wonder goal for Real Madrid's youth team. Leo Hazard, 9-year-old son of Eden Hazard, scored a long-range goal for Real Madrid's U10 team in their match against Granada in the Iscarcup on April 9th.

Source: https://znews.vn/vuon-nho-chai-ruou-and-hazard-driver-job-post1628784.html