Eden Hazard still garners a lot of love from Chelsea fans, almost seven years after he left having helped the club win two domestic titles and the Europa League.
So much that when he staged a UK launch of his signature wine range, almost 200 people paid £100 each to sit in the same room as him, drinking a complimentary glass of his Italian hooch (I chose the white option; it was warm) and tucking into a mass-catered meal in a Southampton hotel which once hosted first-class passengers before their voyage on the Titanic.
I went because it sounded weird. An evening with a former Belgium international and one of the Premier League’s greatest wingers, who hooked up with an Italian wine producer who releases bottles emblazoned with players’ names as part of his “Wine of Champions” range. And for some reason, three ex-Southampton players who are now better known for their beliefs about vaccines, the World Trade Centre attacks and 15-minute cities than their playing careers, were also invited.
It was not a high-end event, even though there was a live tenor, who belted out Nessun Dorma, among other opera favourites. The hefty, visible and vocal security presence put paid to any illusion of a refined atmosphere. But it did give an insight into what footballers do after they retire. After all, there are only so many coaching jobs or pundits’ chairs to go round, but there are thousands of players who want to keep themselves busy after they hang their boots up.
