Former Lille manager Claude Puel spoke to AS ahead of Lille’s Champions League match with Real Madrid and was asked about working with former Los Blancos striker Hazard.
He remembered: “I saw Eden play at Lille when I was 14 because I went to see my son, who played center forward, and Eden was playing behind him, giving him good balls and allowing him to score a lot of goals. That’s the first time he caught my attention.”
Hazard was diminished at Real
“I started Hazard in a friendly match against Club Brugge, he continued. He was incredible, dribbling past four or five players in one go, then passing to his teammate who simply pushed the ball into the back of the net. He had great footballing maturity and did not feel under pressure in the box. This is the mark of great players, where you have the impression that time stops to make the right decision.”
Regarding the difficulties encountered by Hazard at Real, Puel said: “Eden was never able to play at his best, with all his injuries preventing him from performing well, but at Chelsea, where he was voted best player in the Premier League, he was fantastic. »
