"I think it's a goodbye," Chelsea star Eden Hazard admitted on the Olympic Stadium pitch in Baku. "My dream was to play in the Premier League and I've done this for seven years at one of the biggest clubs in the world. So now maybe it's time for a new challenge."
In the 90 minutes that preceded that interview with BT Sport, Hazard had taken Arsenal apart in the Europa League final. The Belgian was at his brilliant best, scoring twice and creating Pedro's opener as Chelsea ran out 4-1 winners. It was little wonder Real Madrid were prepared to make Hazard their club-record signing.
Los Blancos had pursued the Belgium international for several years only for the Blues to rebuff the La Liga giants. Yet the summer of 2019 was a natural end point in the relationship between Chelsea and Hazard, who with just one year remaining on his contract at Stamford Bridge departed in a deal worth up to £130million.
