Chelsea star Raheem Sterling (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Belgium football icon and former Chelsea star Eden Hazard retired from football completely this year at the age of 32.
Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling has outlined his intention to retire from football once he stops enjoying the game, just like Blues legend Eden Hazard.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Tottenham in an interview with Sky Sports’ YouTube channel, Sterling said he shares Hazard’s mindset when it comes to walking away.
‘I’m like Hazard as well. In terms of once that moment comes that I’m not enjoying football, I feel like that’s the moment.’
The 28-year-old emphasized he never wants to reach a point where football goes from being a joy to a chore.
‘You don’t want to hate something that gave you so much love. I think you play football until you don’t enjoy it anymore.’
Hazard retired this year at just 32 once he felt his passion for the game decline after years of injury issues. Raheem Sterling clearly plans to take a similarly proactive approach and quit while he still has an appetite for football.
The England man understands the need to preserve the love that made the sport his career rather than playing past his peak. Sterling has shown flashes of his quality at Chelsea but has not consistently rediscovered his Manchester City form.
In his 50 matches so far for Chelsea, Sterling has netted 13 times compared to 131 goals in 339 games for Man City.
But he remains committed to contributing however he can until that motivation one day begins to wane. When that time comes, Sterling will have no qualms about walking away like Hazard did to enjoy retirement.
For now, Mauricio Pochettino relies on Sterling’s experience to spearhead Chelsea’s young attack.
But further down the line, the winger already has one eye on calling it quits the moment football stops being a joyful experience.
Like Hazard, Sterling wants to preserve only fond memories of his playing days by retiring on his terms.
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