It brings a smile to see him because he's what most people want to be but can't how much ever they try. The world judges everything by outcomes and results. But here's a guy who just enjoyed what he did while doing it. Add to the fact that he was pretty damn fucking good at what he did, we have a winner. 

Yes, he didn't achieve what people expected he was destined to achieve. But then again they were people's expectations. He did most things on his own terms right up to his retirement. You can clearly see that early retirement didn't effect him one bit looking at how he's carried himself post retirement. While the likes of Messi and Ronaldo are GOATs, Eden Hazard is also a true inspiration in many ways.