Belgium international Eden Hazard recently announced his retirement from professional soccer at the age of 32, closing a chapter in a career marred by injuries and setbacks. Interestingly, his retirement coincided with a prediction made by his former manager, Jose Mourinho, eight years ago during their time together at Chelsea.
His former manager, Jose Mourinho, voiced concerns about his treatment on the pitch in an old interview from when both of them were at Chelsea.
Mourinho drew attention to Hazard’s frequent challenges from rival players as well as the Premier League referee’s alleged lack of protection for him. Mourinho made an open allusion in an interview that Hazard’s early retirement might result from such treatment.
Jose Mourinho was right: “Maybe one day we don’t have Eden Hazard”pic.twitter.com/hUQrON0q83
— Owuraku Ampofo (@_owurakuampofo) October 10, 2023
In the interview, Mourinho stated, “People that are in love with football in this country must be in love with Eden Hazard. And I think the way, match after match he is being punished by opponents and is not being protected by referees, maybe one day we don’t have Eden Hazard.”
“There is one, two, three, four, five, ten falls, aggressive falls. The kick, the kick, the kick, the kick and the kid’s resisting because he’s a fantastic kid. He’s strong physically but I think this is also another problem,” the special one added.
As the news of Hazard’s retirement broke, Mourinho’s past prediction resurfaced on social media, prompting discussions among fans. Many commended Mourinho for his knack for predicting the future of players.
Enjoy retirement, kid. pic.twitter.com/Zfpc3PLeoy
— José Mourinho (@josemourinhotv) October 10, 2023
Despite the challenges that led to Hazard’s early retirement, Mourinho displayed sportsmanship by extending his best wishes to the Belgian on X, writing, “Enjoy retirement, kid.”
Jose Mourinho addresses ‘Anti-Mourinhism’ and the pressure at Roma
Roma’s manager, Jose Mourinho, is no stranger to the pressure that comes with coaching a top soccer club, and he recently addressed the criticism and skepticism that have surrounded his tenure at AS Roma.
The 60-year-old Portuguese coach acknowledged that some AS Roma supporters engaged in what he mockingly referred to as “Anti-Mourinhism.” Prior to Roma’s much-needed victory over Cagliari, Mourinho had been under close scrutiny because of the season’s rocky beginning.
🗣️ José Mourinho: “Is there Mourinhism? And anti-Mourinhism. Here in Rome there are both. I meet people on the street, in all parts of the world, who identify with Mourinhism, but anti -mourinhismo sells more”. 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/8kj8JaMBBM
— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) October 10, 2023
In a defiant response to his critics, Mourinho stated, “There is Anti-Mourinhism too. Especially in Rome, you can find both sides.” He went on to explain that those who take pleasure in seeing Roma lose and perform poorly and fall short of achieving success in Europe seem to be the ones who are spreading this anti-Mourinhism.
Following victories over Frosinone and Cagliari, Roma is currently ranked tenth in Serie A and is steadily moving up the standings. Mourinho’s future with the team was reportedly in jeopardy in the past.
however, things are looking a lot easier right now. It’s fair to say those two victories couldn’t come anytime soon. This situation emerged just months after the former Chelsea manager turned down lucrative offers from the Saudi Pro League.