Eden Hazard sends new three-word message ahead of Stamford Bridge return for Soccer Aid

Former Chelsea star Eden Hazard is gearing up for his return to Stamford Bridge, five years after leaving the Blues in the summer of 2019.

Just eight months after announcing his retirement from football, the former Belgian international will make his return as part of the World XI for this year's Soccer Aid charity match, an event that has raised almost £100 million over the past 19 years for UNICEF.

The star will be teaming up with ex-Chelsea teammates John Obi Mikel, Petr Cech and Michael Essien as part of Mauricio Pochettino's squad, the former Blues boss taking charge of the World XI side for the second year in a row following last year's 4-2 win over the England XI at Old Trafford.

He'll be playing up against Gary Cahill and Joe Cole, who are both being managed by Frank Lampard who will look to lead the England Xi to their first victory in the charity match for over five years. Other celebrities involved include the world's fastest man Usain Bolt, Sir Mo Farah, Lee Mack and Stuart Broad.

The 33-year-old spent a total of seven years playing for Chelsea before leaving for Real Madrid where he failed to find consistent minutes due to a slew of injury issues that ultimately forced him into an early retirement. In that time at Stamford Bridge, he played 352 times, scoring 110 goals and providing 85 assists for the club.

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He's been seen training for the match this week, sharing a post on Instagram which showed him riding a bicycle up a mountain with the caption 'Climbing to the top'. Back in March, it was announced that the Blues legend would be making his return to Stamford Bridge for the charity event, with Soccer Aid posting a video to their social media channels of Hazard reading a newspaper before looking into the camera and saying: "I'm back baby!".

Upon his involvement in the match being announced, Hazard said: "I spent seven years [at Chelsea], the best memories of my football career.

"I met great players, not just inside the team but also outside the club. It was seven years of pure happiness. When you leave, you always feel a bit sad - but this club is always in my head. It's going to be at Stamford Bridge with friends, so it is going to be a great night."

Now he's been spotted in a recent post, in which Soccer Aid flew out to greet him in a video titled 'Recruiting a Legend'. In the post, the cameraman can be seen going through an airport before landing on the plane and meeting Hazard who gives him a fist bump and shouts "Ah, my guy!" into the camera.