Eden Hazard was one of the signings that excited Real Madrid fans. He joined in the summer of 2019 to fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo and take on a star player role. However, the story quickly took a turn for the worse. An ankle injury a few months after arriving at the club lengthened his stay at the club and prevented him from performing at the expected level.
The now-retired Belgian player said he hasn’t forgotten his time in the white coat when speaking about the best memories of his career in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Third place at the 2018 World Cup with Belgium was a success. I was at my best. We are a small country, but the result was incredible. I also fondly remember my first game against Chelsea and everything I experienced at Real Madrid. I was unlucky in Spain, but playing at the Bernabéu was my childhood dream.”
Hazard has also allowed himself to watch Serie A and advise Spanish clubs. The Belgians are full of praise for Kenan Yildiz, one of the jewels of the Italian Championship. “My children are crazy about Yildiz and watch a lot of videos of him playing. They hope to see him in the Premier League. But to me he looks like a Real Madrid player…”
He also recalled that manager Maurizio Sarri used him as an example of Cristiano Ronaldo, but he was never convinced. “I told him I didn’t want to do it. I never went too far, but I always wanted to be Hazard on and off the pitch. I never said no when my friends invited me to dinner, I never said no when they wanted a drink. Cristiano is Cristiano, I am Hazard. I just wanted to be myself and play football.”
He doesn’t hold back when talking about the best coach for him. “Mourinho is the best manager I’ve ever met. He’s an extraordinary communicator. The way he thinks, the way he communicates to the players is amazing,” he joked heartily about Sarri, recalling Conte’s toughness. “I told Coach Sarri that his training sessions were boring. That’s not a criticism, especially because the results have proven him right, and so has Conte. Antonio was great. He made us do endless repetitions…”
Hazard has come full circle by confessing that Italy was never on his radar. “Moratti complimented me a lot, but I always dreamed of playing in the Premier League or Real Madrid, and luckily it happened. And I’ll tell you a secret: as a child I was an AC Milan fan.”
