Much was expected of Eder Hazard when he left 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 a disaster.
Due to a combination of injuries and poor form, Hazard couldn’t even be considered a squad player when his Real Madrid career ended last summer. Carlo Ancelotti then virtually ostracized him, leading to a mutual termination of his contract. A few weeks later, Hazard announced his retirement.
Hazard says it all
Speaking to L’Equipe, the Belgian surprisingly admitted that he felt out of place during his time at Real Madrid. “I have been a fan of Zinedine Zidane since my childhood. The Bernabeu, the white kit… it has a charm that others don’t have. Real Madrid is special. “Beyond that, I don’t think I belong. That doesn’t sound like me. It’s a bit of a “swaggering” club and I’m not like that. I didn’t like the way we played either, if you compare with other clubs. But it was my dream. I couldn’t finish my career without coming here.”
“I would have liked to do things my way and succeed. This shows that Real Madrid is bigger than anything. It’s complicated to play there. Maybe I should have practiced more. I also had the worst injuries at the worst times.”
Real Madrid are certainly bigger than any player, and they have continued to have a lot of success despite Hazard being a secondary player. However, it could have been even better if he had been at his best.
