Hazard reveals how Joe Cole convinced him to sign for Chelsea

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Chelsea star Eden Hazard has revealed how Joe Cole convinced him to sign for the club.

Cole announced his retirement from football at the age of 37 earlier on Tuesday.

The former midfielder, who came through the ranks at West Ham before enjoying seven years at Chelsea, also played for Liverpool, Lille, Aston Villa and Coventry City and won 56 caps for England between 2001 and 2010.

Hazard and Cole played together for a year at Lille before the Belgian international swapped France for England in a £32million deal in 2012.

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‘I spoke to him before I signed for Chelsea,’ Hazard said on the club’s official Twitter account.

‘Every day, seriously, he was telling me that Chelsea was the best club for me.

‘He said Chelsea was a big club where you can win trophies every season. For that reason I signed, so thank you, Joe Cole!’

Cole’s retirement comes following a two-and-a-half year spell in America with United Soccer League outfit the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

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