Much was expected of Eder Hazard when he made the move from Chelsea to join Real Madrid in the summer of 2019. The Belgian winger arrived as one of the best players in the world, but his four-year career in the Spanish capital turned out to be something of a disaster.
A combination of injuries and poor form meant that Hazard could barely even be considered as a squad player by the time his Real Madrid career ended last summer. Carlo Ancelotti had basically ostracised him by that stage, which led to a mutual contract termintion. A few weeks later, Hazard would then announce his retirement.
Speaking to L’Equipe, Hazard surprisingly admitted that he didn’t feel like he fit in during his time at Real Madrid.
“I’ve been a Zinedine Zidane fan since I was a child. The Bernabeu, the white kit… it has a charm that others don’t have. Real Madrid is special.
“Beyond that, I don’t think that I fit in. It’s not like me. It’s a bit of a ‘swaggering’ club, and I’m not like that. I also didn’t like the way we played if you compare it to other clubs. But, it was my dream. I couldn’t finish my career without coming here.”
“I would’ve liked to do things my way and succeed. It shows that Real Madrid is bigger than anything else. It’s complicated to play there. Maybe I needed to train more. I also had the worst injuries at the worst times.”
Real Madrid certainly are bigger than any player, and they continued to have great success despite Hazard being a bit-part player. However, it could have been even better if he had been at his best.
Image via David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images
Who is Hazard kidding? The ONLY reason he became an afterthought at Madrid is that he had one too many donuts! Fatso!