Eden Hazard set for 100th Belgium cap, targets seven more years in playing career

After his latest star turn on Thursday, a match-winning brace in his 99th international appearance for Belgium, Eden Hazard is set to celebrate his 100th cap on Sunday when Belgium take on Cyprus in Euro 2020 qualifying.

But in true Eden Hazard style, the individual accolades will be allowed to fade quickly, and any commemorative item (such as an actual cap) simply added to the pile of trophies and medals he keeps in his garage and lets his kids use as toys.

Hazard, at just 28, is already third on the all-time appearance list for the Red Devils. The two ahead of him are also still active, Axel Witsel and Jan Vertonghen, but are a couple years older. It would not be surprising if Hazard eventually ends his career as Belgium’s all-time leader in appearances.

Where and when that might happen, Hazard doesn’t know, but in his latest interview with HLN, he’s targeting about seven more years and plays down any idea of ending up at a retirement league like MLS or China, or even Belgium.

The interview itself is fairly non-traditional — Hazard’s just as tired of the usual questions as we are — and is basically a TRUE/FALSE quiz.

Eden will play football until he is 35.
TRUE: “That’s another seven years — that should work.”

It’s all just a bit of fun, clearly, but other noteworthy answers include preferring London over Marbella, blue over white, Mourinho over Benítez. Solid answers from a Chelsea perspective, though Hazard is obviously aware that people will read far too much into all his answers — such as when he’s asked whether he’d prefer to win the Champions League or the European Championship.

“If I say ‘win the Champions League’, the fans of the national team will be angry, and if I say ‘become European champions’, I will get Chelsea fans against me.”

-Eden Hazard; source: HLN

But I do like that he assumed it would be Chelsea fans, not Real Madrid fans who’d be angry at him. The earliest we could possibly win the Champions League is next season!