On 29 April, Hazard was nominated for the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year award. He was also nominated, for the second consecutive season, for the Young Player of the Year award. On 9 May, Hazard was awarded the UNFP Young Player of the Year trophy for the second consecutive season. He became the first player since its inception in 1994 to win the award twice. Hazard lost out on the Player of the Year award, which was awarded to Lyon striker Lisandro López.

Hazard joined Lille in 2005 and spent two years developing in the club’s local sports school, due to its youth academy in Luchin not being in operation at that time. On 28 May 2007, he signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal with Lille. At the start of the 2007–08 season, at the age of 16, Hazard was promoted to the club’s reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth level of French football, though he still played with Lille’s under-18 team in its league and the Coupe Gambardella. Hazard made his amateur debut on 1 September 2007 in a league match against Racing Club de France appearing as a second-half substitute in a 3–1 defeat. He made his first start a week later in the team’s 1–0 defeat to Lesquin.

Hazard played for various Belgian national youth teams, such as the under-17 and under-19 teams. With the under-17 team, he was a regular in the team making 17 appearances and scoring two goals. He played with the team in the Toto Cup, a yearly international youth tournament held in Austria and, also, played in the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, which Belgium hosted. In the tournament, Hazard scored his only goal in the team’s opening match against the Netherlands converting a penalty in a 2–2 draw. The match was a homecoming for Hazard, as it was played in Tubize, where he spent part of his youth career. Throughout the tournament, Hazard impressed media and coaches, which led to many in Belgium comparing him to Belgian football legend Enzo Scifo.

Hazard returned to the club’s reserve team and spent December playing with the squad. Following the winter break, Hazard returned to the first team in January and made substitute appearances in three league matches against Metz, Sochaux, and Paris Saint-Germain. Following the match against Paris Saint-Germain, he was demoted back to amateur level where he played concurrently with the reserve team in the fourth division and the under-18 team in the Coupe Gambardella. On 17 May 2008, he scored his first amateur goal in a 3–2 victory over Vitré. Hazard finished his amateur career with 11 appearances and one goal, helping the reserve team finished in fifth place, which was first among professional clubs’ reserve teams playing in the group.

For the 2008–09 season, Hazard was given the number 26 shirt after playing with the number 33 shirt in his debut season. He was also promoted to the senior team permanently by new manager Rudi Garcia. Early on, he made substitute appearances regularly making his season debut as a substitute on 14 September 2008 against Sochaux in a 1–1 draw. One of his substitute appearances proved beneficial against Auxerre on 20 September. With Lille trailing 2–1 in the waning minutes of the match, Hazard, after Lille took a corner kick, quickly scooped up a short clearance from Auxerre and took a right-footed shot just outside the box. It beat the keeper and drew the score 2–2 in the 88th minute. With Lille’s confidence high, the club won the match 3–2 in injury time following a goal from Tulio de Melo. Hazard’s first career goal resulted in him becoming the youngest goalscorer in the club’s history.

Four days after scoring his first professional goal, Hazard made his first professional start in a 4–2 defeat on penalties to Montpellier in the Coupe de la Ligue. After featuring as a substitute in the team’s next five league matches, on 15 November, Hazard made his first professional league start against Saint-Étienne. He capped the appearance by scoring the opening goal in the club’s 3–0 victory. His assured performances with the club resulted in Lille offering him a three-year contract extension, which he agreed to on 18 November 2008, tying him to the club until 2012.

After playing at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in August and September 2007, Hazard began earning call-ups to the under-19 team the following month in October. His first appearance came in a 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship qualification match against Romania coming on as a substitute in a 4–0 victory. He subsequently played in the next two group stage matches against Iceland and England. Belgium lost both matches. The negative results eliminated the country from the tournament. Due to being an underage player the previous year, Hazard was eligible for the under-19 team for the 2008–09 season. Due to his growing participation with Lille’s first team, Hazard was only allowed to play in 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship qualification matches by his club and, as a result, missed the 2008 edition of the Milk Cup, which was held during Lille’s preseason.

On 7 October 2008, Hazard scored his first under-19 goal in the team’s 5–0 victory over Estonia. Three days later, he scored a double in a 2–2 draw with Croatia. In the Elite Round, Hazard led the team in goals scoring three. In the opening match against the Republic of Ireland, he scored the lone goal. In the next match, Hazard was influential in the team’s 5–0 thrashing of Sweden scoring a goal and assisting on two others. In the team’s final match, they faced Switzerland. Belgium needed an outright victory to progress to the 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, but were eliminated from qualifying after drawing 1–1 with the Swiss, despite Hazard opening the scoring for Belgium in the 21st minute.

On 18 November 2008, Hazard was called up to the Belgium senior team, for the first time, by manager René Vandereycken for the team’s match against Luxembourg. Prior to making his national team debut with Belgium, Hazard was courted by French Football Federation officials who sought the player to play for the France national team as he had become eligible for French citizenship. Hazard did not respond to the courtship and later stated “Because of my presence in France for seven years, I feel 99% Belgian and 1% French, but the idea of French citizenship has never crossed my mind”.

Hazard was born in La Louvière and grew up in Braine-le-Comte. His mother, Carine, and father, Thierry, were both footballers. His father spent most of his career at semi-professional level with La Louvière in the Belgian Second Division, playing mainly as a defensive midfielder. His mother played as a striker in the Belgian Women’s First Division and stopped playing when she was three months pregnant with Eden. After playing football, both parents became sports teachers. Thierry retired from his position in 2009 in order to devote more time to his children.

Hazard made his highly anticipated debut for Belgium in the match against Luxembourg coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute for Wesley Sonck. On his debut, Hazard became the eighth youngest international player in Belgian football history, at 17 years and 316 days. On 12 August 2009, after three consecutive substitute appearances with the team, he made his first start under coach Franky Vercauteren in the team’s 3–1 friendly loss to the Czech Republic. Following the resignation of Vercauteren, he was replaced with manager Dick Advocaat. Under Advocaat, Hazard became a starter in the team and, on 14 November 2009, played a full match for the first time in his international career. In the match, which was played against Hungary, Hazard assisted on two goals in a 3–0 win.

Hazard began the 2010–11 campaign as a starter featuring in Lille’s first six league matches of the season, as well as matches in the UEFA Europa League. On 29 August 2010, he scored his first goal of the season in a 1–1 draw with Nice. In late September, Hazard began to struggle with inconsistency and was benched by Garcia in an effort to “allow him (Hazard) to breathe and learn that his performances were insufficient”. Hazard, subsequently, appeared as a substitute in the team’s 2–1 defeat to Portuguese club Sporting in the Europa League and as a substitute in the next three league matches against Toulouse, Montpellier, and Lyon. Hazard later admitted that his first bout of inconsistency affected him stating “The first two months were a bit tough. I wouldn’t say that I began doubting my abilities, but I definitely went through a really patchy spell”.

In May 2010, Advocaat was replaced as manager by Georges Leekens. After featuring as a starter in Leekens first three matches in charge, Hazard began appearing as a substitute for Belgium during the 2010–11 season. Leekens justified his benching of Hazard citing the players’ domestic performance, which had been underwhelming at the time, while also admitting that Hazard displayed a lack of desire in training with the national team and often neglected his defensive duties during international matches. After appearing as a substitute in two straight matches, Hazard returned to the starting lineup for the team’s November 2010 friendly match against Russia. In the match, which Belgium won 2–0, Hazard assisted on the team’s opening goal scored by Romelu Lukaku.

However, despite the positive opinions, Hazard has endured criticism from some. In 2010, former Belgium national team manager Georges Leekens questioned Hazard’s work-rate. Lille youth academy director Jean-Michel Vandamme countered both managers’ criticism by arguing that Hazard simply possesses an intellectual honesty that is out of the ordinary and unexpected of today’s footballer declaring “He is a real competitor, not a cheat, nor a moaner, because you don’t hear him complaining when he gets fouled”.

Hazard is married to Natacha Van Honacker. On 19 December 2010, it was reported that she had given birth to a baby boy, Yannis. She gave birth to their second son, Leo, in February 2013, and a third son, Samy, in September 2015.

On 7 October, Belgium national team manager Georges Leekens, citing Hazard’s recent spell on the bench at Lille, said that the player needed to work harder, both physically and mentally, to regain his past year’s form. The team’s assistant coach, Marc Wilmots, also stated that Hazard often displayed a lazy mentality while training with the national team. Garcia responded to Leekens comments the following day stating that he thought they were “excessive” and that “Eden is only 19 years old” and can still “make more progress in all areas.” Following Belgium’s match against Kazakhstan, in which Hazard failed to start or even appear on the substitute’s bench, Leekens responded to Garcia’s comments declaring that he would stand by his previous comments and that players must think about the team and not themselves. Hazard, himself, later reflected on Leekens and Garcia comments in February 2011 stating “I learned a lot during those few weeks, mentally speaking. And since then things have got better. The national side has had a fair bit to do with that – I get a lot out of being a part of it”.

Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Hazard switched to the number 10 shirt. In Lille’s first competitive match of the season against Marseille in the 2011 Trophée des Champions, Hazard scored the team’s second goal, which put Lille up 2–0. Marseille would later come back to win the match 5–4. On 20 August, in the team’s third league match of the season, Hazard assisted on Lille’s opening goal, scored by Benoît Pedretti, in a 2–1 win over Caen. A month later on 10 September, he scored two goals in a 3–1 away victory against Saint-Étienne. Fours days after, Hazard made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 2–2 group stage draw with Russian club CSKA Moscow.

After featuring as a starter in the team’s 1–1 draw with Finland in February 2011, Hazard was relegated back to the substitute’s bench for the team’s important March 2011 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches as Leekens preferred Nacer Chadli and Mousa Dembélé on the wings. In the team’s 29 March qualifier against Azerbaijan, he appeared as a second-half substitute and assisted on the team’s final goal in a 4–1 win. Following the matches, French media began questioning why Hazard was struggling to be appreciated in his home country, while, at the same time, was being praised in France. Marc Wilmots, assistant coach of the national team, responded to the media reports stating “Some people only see Eden’s qualities” and “the French press are sometimes blinded by his moments of magic”.

In Belgium’s next competitive match against Turkey on 3 June 2011, Hazard started the match, but was substituted out after 60 minutes. Disappointed with his performance and substitution, the midfielder retired to the locker room and was later spotted on television outside the stadium with his family eating a hamburger while the match was still ongoing. Following the episode, which has become known as Burgergate in Belgium, Hazard apologized for the defection, while Leekens attributed Hazard’s response to the substitution as “a young player making a mistake”.

On 7 October 2011, nearly three years after his debut, Hazard scored his first international goal against Kazakhstan in a 4–1 victory. The victory inserted Belgium into second-place position in its group in qualifying for UEFA Euro 2012 with the team needing a victory over Germany on 11 October to secure a place in the qualifying playoffs. In the match against Germany, Hazard played the entire match as Belgium failed to earn a place in the European Championship, losing 3–1 in Düsseldorf.

Hazard primarily plays as either an attacking midfielder or a winger and has been credited as being “possibly the outstanding talent in Europe right now”. At Lille under former manager Rudi Garcia, Hazard often played in the latter role in the team’s 4–3–3 formation and regularly switched flanks because he could use both feet. Following the departures of fellow playmakers Yohan Cabaye and Gervinho in 2011, during the 2011–12 season, Garcia played Hazard in a creative role as a central attacking midfielder, while also allowing the player to roam back onto the wing if necessary. Two of Hazard’s most common exemplary traits are his pace and technical ability, which have been described as “astonishing” and “mesmerizing”. His speed, acceleration, and dribbling skills, combined with his creativity, as well as his flair, balance, agility, and low centre of gravity, courtesy of his diminutive stature (1.73 m/5 feet 8 inches), allow him to retain possession, take on defenders, and beat opponents in one on one situations.

Hazard is the eldest of four children. He has three brothers, all of whom play football, including Thorgan, who joined him at Chelsea in 2012 but then moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2015 and further to Borussia Dortmund in 2019. Thorgan had previously progressed through the youth ranks of Lille’s biggest rivals Lens. Hazard’s other younger brothers are Kylian and Ethan. On 15 July 2013, Kylian joined White Star Bruxelles, but then went on to play for Hungarian side Újpest, before also joining Chelsea, while Ethan remains playing in the youth academy of Eden’s former club Tubize.

On 18 March, Hazard scored a goal and assisted on two others in a 4–0 win over local rivals Valenciennes. In Lille’s next match against Evian, Hazard converted a penalty and assisted on a goal by Dimitri Payet in a 3–0 win. The following week, on 1 April 2012, Hazard converted a first-half penalty and later assisted on another Payet goal to cap a 2–1 victory over Toulouse.

On 4 June 2012, Chelsea officially confirmed on its website that the club had agreed terms with Lille for the transfer of Hazard. The midfielder agreed personal terms with the club and passed a medical examination. The transfer fee was reported to be priced at £32 million.

On 12 August 2012, Hazard made his competitive debut for Chelsea in the 2012 FA Community Shield against Manchester City, which ended in a 3–2 defeat at Villa Park. A week later, he made his league debut against Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium. In the contest, Hazard provided the assist for Branislav Ivanović’s opening goal and, minutes later, won a penalty, which Frank Lampard converted, earning his side a 2–0 victory. He made his Stamford Bridge debut in the team’s next fixture, against Reading on 22 August, he won another penalty from which Lampard converted. Hazard also assisted on goals by Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanović as Chelsea won 4–2 at Stamford Bridge. Three days later, Hazard scored his first goal as a Chelsea player in the team’s league match against Newcastle United after scoring a penalty. Chelsea won the match 2–0.

In 2012, Hazard signed a sponsorship deal with sportswear and equipment supplier, Nike. He appeared in an advert for the Nike Green Speed II alongside Mario Götze, Theo Walcott, Raheem Sterling, Christian Eriksen and Stephan El Shaarawy in November 2012.

In January 2013, Hazard scored a goal with his left-foot from 25 yards in Chelsea’s 4–0 win over Stoke City, as Chelsea inflicted the first home defeat of the season on Stoke. He scored again in the following game, with an impressive strike from the edge of the area in a 2–2 draw at home to Southampton.

On 23 January 2013, he was sent off in the Football League Cup semi-final second leg game against Swansea City for kicking a ball out from underneath a ball boy who was lying on it in order to waste time. Chelsea went on to lose the tie 2–0. Thereafter, he told Chelsea TV that he “apologised and the boy apologised” to each other. It was later revealed that the 17-year-old ball boy had planned before the game to deliberately waste time. On 9 February, he scored on his return from suspension in a 4–1 win at home against Wigan Athletic.

On 21 February 2013, Hazard came on as a substitute against Sparta Prague and scored an individual goal in stoppage time, to send Chelsea through to the last 16 on a 2–1 aggregate score. Again Hazard came off the bench to make an impact for Chelsea, scoring a goal and providing an assist to Ramires, as the Blues came back from 2–0 down to salvage a 2–2 draw against Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on 10 March, setting up a replay at Stamford Bridge. On 17 March 2013, Hazard put in a Man of the Match performance at Stamford Bridge in a 2–0 victory over West Ham United, assisting on Frank Lampard’s 200th Chelsea goal, then scoring a solo goal. On 11 May 2013, at Villa Park, Hazard was the provider of Lampard’s brace against Aston Villa, which enabled Lampard to break Bobby Tambling’s all-time goal scoring record for Chelsea. However an injury picked up in the same game ruled him out of the 2013 UEFA Europa League Final. Hazard ended his debut campaign at Chelsea with 13 goals in all competitions.

One of Chelsea’s first games of the season was against Bayern Munich in the 2013 UEFA Super Cup, where Hazard played a vital role in the buildup to the first goal and scored the second, but went on to an eventual 5–4 defeat in the penalty shoot-out. In October 2013, Hazard, as a substitute, scored the game-clinching goal in a 3–1 Premier League clash against Norwich City at Carrow Road, before scoring twice and assisting Samuel Eto’o’s first Chelsea goal in a comprehensive defeat of Cardiff City in the same competition. Hazard netted his fifth goal of the season against Schalke in a crucial 0–3 Champions League Group stage win. In October, Hazard was part of the 23-man shortlist of players nominated for the prestigious FIFA Ballon d’Or, awarded to the player who is voted the men’s world footballer of the year.

On 9 November 2013, Hazard created Chelsea’s first goal against West Bromwich Albion, which was scored by Samuel Eto’o. Later in the match Chelsea went 2–1 down, but Hazard scored a last minute penalty to clinch a point for his team. On 4 December 2013, Hazard scored a brace in a 4–3 away victory over Sunderland, with coach José Mourinho claiming that Hazard delivered his best performance of the season. Sunderland manager Gus Poyet also praised Hazard for his individual impact on the game. Poyet said: “Eden Hazard was outstanding. He was unplayable, as a manager I haven’t come up against anyone like that.”

On 26 December 2013, Hazard scored the only goal in Chelsea’s 1–0 victory over Swansea. In Chelsea’s next league match, Hazard scored a goal from 25 yards during Chelsea’s 2–1 victory over Liverpool. The following week, Hazard scored the opening goal in Chelsea’s 2–0 victory away to Hull City. After Hazard maintained his excellent form in Chelsea’s 1–0 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on 3 February 2014, Mourinho declared Hazard as the best young footballer in the world. Hazard scored his first Premier League hat-trick against Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on 8 February.

On 27 April 2014, Hazard won the PFA Young Player of the Year award and finished as the runner-up to Luis Suárez for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award for his fine attacking performances under José Mourinho. After Chelsea’s Champions League exit against Atlético Madrid, Hazard claimed that Chelsea are only set up to counter-attack. Mourinho responded by saying that Hazard “is not so mentally ready” to help his defence, blaming him for the first goal scored by the opponents. In May 2014, Hazard was voted Chelsea’s Player of the Year in his second season at Stamford Bridge.

Upon Juan Mata’s departure from the club in January 2014, Hazard was handed the number 10 shirt for Chelsea ahead of the 2014–15 season. On 5 October, he won a penalty against Arsenal after being fouled by Laurent Koscielny, and then converted it himself past Wojciech Szczęsny to open a 2–0 victory which made Chelsea the last unbeaten team in the league. In doing so, he maintained his 100% penalty record out of 16 penalties. He also became the only player in Europe who has taken more than 15 penalties and scored all of them.

On 13 May 2014, Hazard was named in Belgium’s squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He assisted Dries Mertens’ winning goal in the team’s first game of the tournament, a 2–1 win against Algeria in Belo Horizonte. In Belgium’s second match, he assisted Divock Origi’s 88th-minute goal, giving the Red Devils a 1–0 win over Russia and qualifying them for the knockout stage, eventually reaching the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by Argentina.

On 12 February 2015, Hazard signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract with Chelsea. After signing, Hazard said: “I’ve signed a new contract and I’m very happy because I’m playing for one of the best clubs in the world.” He played the full 90 minutes in the club’s victory in the League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on 1 March, a 2–0 win over Tottenham.

On 26 May 2015, Hazard was voted as Chelsea’s Player of the Year for the second year in a row. There are only four other players that have done it in the past; Juan Mata, Frank Lampard, Ray Wilkins, and John Hollins.

On 7 June 2015, due to the suspension of regular skipper Vincent Kompany, Hazard captained Belgium for the first time in a friendly against France at the Stade de France, scoring a penalty for Belgium’s final goal in a 4–3 victory. He won another penalty in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match on 3 September when fouled by Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ognjen Vranješ, and converted it past his Chelsea clubmate Asmir Begović to conclude Belgium’s 3–1 comeback victory. Three days later, he finished Mertens’ cross with four minutes remaining, for the only goal in an away win over Cyprus. On 10 October, Hazard scored a spot-kick again after Óscar Sonejee’s handball, in a 4–1 win over Andorra which sealed Belgium’s qualification to the continental championship for the first time since co-hosting UEFA Euro 2000.

In February 2016, Hazard was scrutinised when he said it would “be difficult to say no” to a move to Paris Saint-Germain. He remained scoreless in the league until 23 April, when he recorded two goals in a 4–1 victory at Bournemouth; after the result, interim manager Guus Hiddink insisted that Hazard would remain at Chelsea by next season. For the second consecutive campaign, Hazard scored the goal that decided the Premier League; he came on as a substitute at home to Tottenham on 2 May, and scored an equaliser as Chelsea came from 2–0 down at half-time to draw. The result meant Leicester City won the title at Tottenham’s expense. On 11 May 2016, Hazard scored his fourth and final league goal of the season against Liverpool, although Chelsea were unable to hold on to the lead, with fellow countryman Christian Benteke scoring in extra time as the match finished in a 1–1 draw.

On 15 August 2016, in Chelsea’s opening Premier League match of the season, Hazard scored a penalty in a 2–1 win over West Ham United. Hazard recorded a total of 81 touches throughout the game, and his performance earned him the Man of the Match. On 27 August, Hazard contributed another Man of the Match display in the 3–0 victory over Burnley, scoring the opener in the ninth minute. After voting ended on 5 September, Hazard received the most votes from the public poll, 41%, for the Premier League Player of the Month award although Raheem Sterling was later named the Player of the Month by a Premier League panel.

On 15 October 2016, Hazard, along with Diego Costa dedicated their goals to Willian, whose mother had died earlier that week, in the 3–0 victory over the champions, Leicester City. On 23 October, he scored his fourth goal of the season in a 4–0 win over former Chelsea manager, José Mourinho’s Manchester United, equalling the number of league goals he managed in the previous season. Hazard continued his excellent form, scoring the first goal and assisting the second in Chelsea’s 2–0 win over Southampton on 30 October. This marked the first time that he had scored in three consecutive Premier League games. His run of form continued into the next match as he scored two goals and assisted another in Chelsea’s 5–0 win against Everton at Stamford Bridge on 5 November. Hazard’s performance against Everton earned him another Man of the Match award, his third in a row in the Premier League. On 18 November 2016, Hazard was named the Premier League Player of the Month for October.

On 26 December 2016, Hazard led the Blues to their twelfth consecutive league victory, a new club record, in the 3–0 victory over Bournemouth. He also converted a penalty for his 50th Premier League goal, making him the sixth Chelsea player to achieve this feat. On 20 April 2017, Hazard was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the fourth time in his five seasons at Chelsea. Two days later, he scored after coming on as a substitute in Chelsea’s 4–2 FA Cup semi-final victory over rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium.

Since March 2016, Hazard has been appearing in adverts for Belgium-based Lotus Bakeries promoting their Biscoff biscuit range. The advert shows him successfully taking a free kick, sending a ball into a gap in 10,000 cups.

At the beginning of the summer, Hazard suffered an ankle injury in training during international duty. The injury ruled him out for 6 to 8 weeks; missing the entire preseason and the Premier League opener. On 25 August 2017, Hazard returned to action, playing 75 minutes for the Chelsea U23 side. On 28 October 2017, Hazard scored his first league goal of the season in a 1–0 win against Bournemouth in the Premier League. On 3 January 2018, Hazard scored in a 2–2 draw with rivals Arsenal. Two goals against Brighton & Hove Albion on 20 January made it 100 league goals in his career. Hazard’s double helped Chelsea to a 4–0 win at Falmer Stadium. On 12 February, Hazard scored a double in a 3–0 win over West Bromwich Albion.

On 26 June 2017, Hazard became a part-owner of expansion North American Soccer League franchise San Diego 1904 FC to begin play in 2018, alongside Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye and Moussa Sow.

In the 2018 FA Cup Final on 19 May, Hazard entered Manchester United’s penalty area, where he was fouled by defender Phil Jones with a sliding tackle. Hazard took the penalty kick, sending it low to the right past United goalkeeper David de Gea for the only goal of the game.

On 7 June 2019, La Liga club Real Madrid announced on their website that Hazard would be signing for them for the 2019–20 season. He signed a contract until 30 June 2024 for an initially reported fee of approximately €100 million, which may rise to €146.1 million due to additional fees and will be earning an expected £400,000 per week. Hazard was formally unveiled in front of 50,000 fans on 13 June 2019 at the Santiago Bernabéu. Hazard became Real Madrid’s most expensive player after Gareth Bale who was signed for €101 million in 2013. Should any of the variables be met, Hazard would then become Madrid’s most expensive player in their history. Hazard was presented at the Bernabéu without a number on his jersey, just like Luka Jović a day earlier. Hazard has been wearing the number 10 jersey for both Chelsea and Belgium for a number of years, but admitted in his press conference that he had asked Luka Modrić for the jersey number at Real Madrid but Modrić refused to give it away. Nearly two months later, Real Madrid confirmed on their website that Hazard will wear the legendary number 7 at Los Blancos, like club legends Cristiano Ronaldo, Raúl González and Emilio Butragueño.

On 6 August, Hazard scored his first Real Madrid goal which came in a 1–0 friendly win over RB Salzburg. In the last training session before Real Madrid’s first match of the season against Celta Vigo, Hazard suffered a thigh injury which delayed his competitive debut. He made his debut on 14 September 2019, coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 victory over Levante in La Liga at the Bernabeu. On 5 October, Hazard scored his first competitive goal for Los Blancos, right before half time against Granada in his first home league start. In the second half, he also got his first assist which was to Modrić in an eventual 4–2 victory. On 22 October, Hazard assisted Toni Kroos’ winner away to Galatasaray in a narrow 1–0 win in the Champions League group stage which was Real Madrid’s first win of the European campaign after just one point from the opening two matches. On 26 November, Hazard suffered an ankle injury against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League group stage after a rash challenge by Belgium teammate Thomas Meunier. He was unable to continue and was substituted moments later. Meunier publicly apologized about the incident and tried to greet his Belgium captain in the Real Madrid locker room after the match. A day later, Real Madrid’s medical team suggested the ankle injury was ‘an external bruise’ expected to keep Hazard on the sidelines for just 10 days. But one week later, further tests by the medical team claimed he suffered an ‘incomplete external micro fracture’ in his right ankle with no set return date. Hazard went on to miss 16 Real Madrid matches across four competitions, which included the first El Clásico of the season, the Supercopa de España victory in Jeddah and the entire Copa del Rey campaign which ended with a quarter-final exit to Sociedad.

Hazard made his 100th cap for Belgium during the Euro 2020 qualifiers in a 2–0 away win against Cyprus in March 2019, scoring the second goal in that match. Hazard captained Belgium to become the first team to qualify for the tournament.

In Belgium, Hazard’s talent and similar ascension up the country’s football hierarchy has led to comparisons to former Belgian international Enzo Scifo. Both players share the same birthplace and Scifo himself spent time with Hazard while he was in Tubize admitting “Eden, you know, I’ve coached in Tubize. During the week, I took care of the young people at least once, and he, in those days, I immediately saw he had a secure future”. Former Chelsea player Gianfranco Zola likened Hazard to himself in 2019, a view which was the Belgian’s former club teammate Frank Lampard had previously expressed in 2013.

Hazard features on the cover of EA Sports’ FIFA video game FIFA 15 in Belgium, the UK, the Netherlands and France, along with Lionel Messi. Hazard, Marco Reus, James Rodríguez and Anthony Martial were announced as the official ambassadors of the game and were the finalists to be the new face of FIFA 17. Hazard was named the new face of the franchise in 2019 – taking over from Cristiano Ronaldo – appearing as the cover star of the regular edition of FIFA 20.

On 7 November 2020, he tested positive for COVID-19.