Chelsea's 'next Eden Hazard' retires aged just 28 after being 'killed' by Blues exit

Ex-Chelsea starlet Charly Musonda has decided to retire at just 28 three years after leaving West London. The Belgian winger joined the Blues from Anderlecht in 2012, moving through the Blues’ youth system until his eventual breakthrough.

He made his first-team debut for Chelsea in 2017 and went on to make seven senior appearances for the club. Big things were expected of Musonda and he was even tipped to be the successor to club icon and compatriot Eden Hazard.

But things then went downhill for Musonda in West London after loan spells with Real Betis, Celtic and Vitesse Arnhem. He eventually left the club for nothing in 2022 at the end of his contract, with Levante and Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta then making moves for him.

But he left the latter last summer and has been without a club since. Musonda has now decided to hang up his boots despite having only 63 appearances under his belt.

, he said: "I've got a big announcement today. It's not easy but it's something I've been thinking about for a long time. After reflecting on my experiences and who I am, I've realised I want to live with purpose to inspire and motivate others."

READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE: Liverpool close on Guehi deal, Gyokeres snubs Sporting return, Man Utd's Onana exit

READ MORE: Players ask FIFA to scrap early kick-offs and say Chelsea match should have been called off

Opening up on his time with Chelsea - and eventual exit - Musonda has revealed that his departure from the club was the catalyst behind his downturn in form. He added: "The exit killed me. It killed me mentally. It was the worst thing.

“I was obviously with the reserves at that time so the plan was to pick up with the reserves, get some training in and if there were a few games where I could fit in toward the back end of the season, that was the plan.

"Because I literally had just gotten better. I came back in December-January and was training with the reserves. Feeling amazing, happy to be back—obviously it was a long way for me to be fully fit, but just being able to train was amazing.

"The first team was doing really well. It was COVID, so the buildings were split and you wouldn’t really see the first team. Then toward the back end of the season in the car park I ran into Thomas Tuchel, the manager.

"They were getting ready for the semi-final of the Champions League and he just said, 'How are you feeling? How are things going?.

"It was my first time meeting him. He said, 'I’m looking forward to seeing you back and I said, 'Don’t worry, I’ll be back for pre-season.

"Because in my mind, it was always pre-season and I’d be back with the first team and we’d see from there. So I came back for pre-season and that’s where things got tricky. That was the end of my time at Chelsea."

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.