Eden Hazard is no longer a football player, but he is still an endearing man. This Wednesday, the 32-year-old Belgian set foot on the field again during a charity match organized by the Variétés Club de France in Calais. Still as comfortable on the ball despite his four months of inactivity, the former maestro of Lille and Chelsea delighted the northern public, delivering six assists and scoring a goal. Wilfried Mbappé, near Kylian, Mathieu Debuchy, Yohan Cabaye, Redouane Bougheraba and Robert Pirès were the recipients of his caviars.
But beyond his footballing qualities, Eden Hazard also shone through his sympathy. Before the match, while Jacques Vendroux, initiator of this Variétés Club de France, had called Emmanuel Macron to chat for a few minutes, the Belgian retained his legendary humor. When the President asked him how he felt, the winger responded straight away: “like a young retiree”, making his partners of the day laugh.
But the exchange didn’t stop there. Teasing, Emmanuel Macron wanted to remind the former captain of the Red Devils of a bad memory. “Eden, I’m not going to lie to him. The last time I saw him on the pitch, I really wanted him to play very badly because it was against France in 2018,” said the President of the Republic.
After a pout proving that this defeat was difficult to digest, the newly retired did not hesitate to respond. “I still played well that match. We lost it but I played well,” he emphasized with a burst of laughter. A few minutes later, Eden Hazard proved that he could still play very well by leading his team to victory against the Northern Legends (11-2). A meeting which made it possible to raise nearly 15,000 euros for the “Yellow Pieces” operation.
