Between Eden Hazard and Real Madrid, everything started badly with a question of weight. July 2019, the Belgian shows, despite the black of his jersey, love handles for his first training. When his transfer weighs 115 million euros (a record for Real), inevitably it makes people talk. The ruthless Madrid sports press spreads on the 5 kilos in excess of the Chelsea defector, perceived as a lack of respect. The interested party drops the piece a few months later at Sports/Football Magazine. ” If II’m on vacation, I’m on vacation. I gained 5 kilos in the summer. I am one of those who gain weight quickly. »
Today, the 31-year-old player (with the line found) is almost no longer a hot topic in Madrid, like his probable non-establishment against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 first leg. the Champions League, Tuesday February 15. Between repeated injuries and starving statistics (six goals since his arrival), Hazard has never lived in the function. Like a missed date with his heart club. At 14, the teenager asked, on his arrival at the Lille training center, if a Spanish teacher was available, as the story goes. El Paísconvinced of the importance of mastering Castilian with a view to joining Real Madrid one day.
Consultant for RTBF, Alexandre Teklak knows Hazard and his family well. The former defender is sad to see the captain of the Belgian national team relegated to the rank of extra player. “Eden had a lot of credit, but he was too often absent from the field, he said. However, at Real, the results are imperative and if you do not impose yourself, you lose your place. » After a few false launches, the Brazilian rocket Vinicius Junior ended up taking off and now blocks the horizon of the Walloon on the left side of the attack.
Approachable and casual
His trainer, Carlo Ancelotti, blows hot and cold with the former Lille player. On December 23, 2021, he saluted his performance after a victory against Bilbao (2-1). “Yes, I agree that Hazard is back”, even loose the Italian. In reality, he would have recognized that the twirling and decisive dribbler belonged to a bygone past. The one before November 26, 2019, the day his compatriot Thomas Meunier grabbed his right foot during a match against PSG, already.
Verdict: ankle microfracture. The gesture is more clumsy than nasty from the right-back, but marks the start of the falling out between Hazard and his body. “Eden has always based his game on a very high explosiveness, but he was forced to change because he lost his kidneys to eliminate defenders with injuries, observes Teklak. He has become a kind of midfielder in the last thirty meters. However, in this area, it is necessary to make differences, and that, he is unfortunately no longer capable of it. He is afraid of pushing too hard. This is symptomatic of players who chain physical glitches. »
Injuries always have a story. In the case of Hazard, the temptation is great to link them to this personality as approachable as it is casual. Even when he is promised to find a chair at the big table between a Cristiano Ronaldo and a Lionel Messi, the native of La Louvière first pleads the pleasure of the game. He recognizes the importance of statistics in modern football, but claims not to identify with it.
When Ronaldo splits his life into calories consumed and micronaps, Hazard lingers in the guest lounge after a Belgium game, a beer in hand and always available for a photo with a child. Not known for taking extra training, he rarely says no to a burger too, his indulgence. Even King Philippe chambered him about it in 2018 before the World Cup. “After a match, especially in Belgium, it’s important”, answers him the number 10 of the Red Devils. And to specify: “Especially with fries! »
“He loves his life in Madrid”
His problem is perhaps to have liked Real without finally knowing him. When a club is nicknamed the “White House”, it is because it takes itself very seriously. In May 2021, while the elimination against Chelsea in the Champions League is still fresh, the player jokes with former office colleagues. Too much laughter for some. In the famous and highly charged program “El Chiriguinto”, the host Josep Pedrerol demands his excommunication for blasphemy. “You have just been eliminated, and you, are you fed up? But of what ? Are you making fun of everyone? (…) Hazard can’t stay another second at Real Madrid! »
But no offense to the most influential and slicked-back polemicist on Spanish TV, Hazard is under contract until 2024. Despite rumors of leaving this winter, the person concerned would not be decided to release the place. “Eden is very cool, but he wanted to succeed at Real, the situation hurts himadvances Alexandre Teklak. In Belgium, there is speculation about his departure, but the family aspect comes into play. I know from a good source that he likes his life in Madrid, that his wife likes it very much. And then, which club would be ready to offer him the same salary conditions? »
Eto’o on Eden Hazard (2014) It’s still incredible to predict the future so well https://t.co/LLyeaZIO1I
It then comes to mind this warning formulated by Samuel Eto’o on the set of BeIN Sports in 2014. Already, the former center forward of FC Barcelona and Cameroon implores the Belgian to work more, to go against his ease. “If you don’t train, Mr. Eden Hazard, after two years you will be forgotten, and football is going so fast that another kid will be born who will be even stronger. » Even though the prophecy was a bit overdue, today that kid is called Vinicius and Hazard watches him from the substitutes’ bench.