Chelsea thrashed Arsenal to win their second Europa League and star man Eden Hazard has finally revealed the truth about his rumoured move to Real Madrid as he said “I think it is goodbye”.
Eden Hazard appeared to confirm his Chelsea exit after scoring twice in his side’s 4-1 Europa League final defeat of Arsenal. After scoring twice in the final against Arsenal, the Belgian star appeared to confirm his exit from Stamford Bridge.
Hazard has been linked with a move to Real Madrid at the end of the season and confirmed after the game that his time at Chelsea has likely come to an end. “I think it’s a goodbye but in football you never know. My dream was to play in the Premier League. I played here for seven years for one of the biggest clubs in the world and maybe it’s time for a new challenge,” the Belgian told BT Sport.
Hazard has already said his decision was made and on Wednesday he indicated that an announcement on his future would be forthcoming shortly. “I don’t know yet. I think it will be decided in a few days,” Hazard said.
“My target was to win the trophy, that was the only thing in my mind. I made my decision already. I said it two weeks ago. Now it depends on the clubs, both clubs. I am just waiting. You will see, you will know in a couple of days.”
Hazard won’t be leaving Chelsea without one final strong performance though, as his brace in Baku helped his side to a trophy in manager Maurizio Sarri’s first season in charge. The Blues and the Gunners entered half-time scoreless before the deluge of goals in the second half, with Olivier Giroud and Pedro opening the scoring for Chelsea before Hazard’s brace.
“When Ollie scored, I think it was the beginning of a great night. We played well in the second half. They had a few chances at the end when the score was 4-1. I’m just happy to lift this trophy with the boys,” Hazard said.
With his double, Hazard became the first player to score a brace in the final of a major UEFA competition for an English club since Mark Hughes for Manchester United against Barcelona in the 1991 Cup Winners’ Cup final. When asked what Sarri said to his side at the break, Hazard said: “Just to keep playing, try to keep playing. What we did in the second half.
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“We know we have the players when we want to play all together. We fight altogether. This showed our mentality. We did it for the boys, for the fans, for the manager, for the staff. It’s a great trophy to win.”
