IT'S THE RIGHT TIME TO STOP

Twinkle-toed genius quits at the age of 32

- Darren Lewis

IT STARTED with a tweet. On May 25, 2012, Eden Hazard ended a year-long, Europe-wide guessing game by confirming he would sign for Chelsea.

Over the subsequent, scintillating, seven years he would justify the hype with two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup and two Europa League trophies.

As for the goals, there were 110 in 352 appearances, including two in his final Blues outing the 2019 Europa League final victory over Arsenal.

He then moved to Real Madrid but it all turned sour with just 54 La Liga appearances and seven goals in 76 games across all competitions.

Still, though, he would add the Champions League, a Club World Cup, a European Super Cup, two La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey and a Spanish Super Cup to his huge trophy cabinet.

And, following confirmation of his football retirement, the Premier League will remember him as serial thriller, and twinkle-toed entertainer.