Real Madrid News
Eden Hazard reflects on Real Madrid stint: “It was my dream but did not go as I wanted”
Former Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard has said that playing for the Los Blancos was his dream and although his tenure did not go as he would have hoped, the time he spent with the club was amazing.
Hazard, now 33, retired from professional football at the age of 32 after struggling with fitness throughout his time at Real Madrid. For someone who was bought for more than €100 million, a lot was expected, but the story did not have a happy ending.
“Playing for Real Madrid was my dream. It did not go as I wanted but I played for a beautiful club,” Hazard told The Obi One Podcast.
The former forward added that he was extremely unlucky during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially because he had to do his recovery alone at home.
“I think I was unlucky at that stage with Covid. I went to Dallas to have surgery and when I came to Madrid, Covid was already there. And in two months of confinement alone at home, I was recovering.”
He admitted that while he thought the routine he adapted was enough for him to be match fit, this wasn’t the case.
“I did exercises at home and that was enough for me. I didn’t think there was more to do. After two months I realized that I should have done more. When I returned to the field, I noticed that,” he added.
Hazard’s body gave up entirely
Speaking about his troubles, the 33-year-old explained that during the 2019-20 season when Real Madrid were crowned La Liga champions, he asked his then-coach, Zinedine Zidane, to use his services more often.
However, upon becoming the champion, he realized that his body was just not supporting his ideas.
“We were very close to becoming champions of the league, so I told Zidane: ‘I want to help, I want to press.’ Then on the day we became champions I said: ‘No, I can’t do more’. My body is suffering a lot, so I need proper rehabilitation, but this was already the end of the season.”
Hazard was largely criticised for being overweight during his time at Real Madrid and while explaining the same, although he admitted everything, he also said,
“Every summer I gained 4 or 5 kilograms because I thought I had already done a lot for ten months. You put your body at the highest level and people ignore you. So your free time is your free time.”
What would he change about his career?
Hazard spent three and a half seasons with Real Madrid but couldn’t even reach a century of appearances while scoring a mere seven goals. His best tally came during his second campaign where he could only muster three goals in La Liga.
Upon asking if there was anything he would like to change from that time, Hazard explained,
“If I had to choose to change just one thing, it would be to ask the doctor to bring in a physiotherapist. When we got back on the field, I hurt myself, but my ankle wasn’t the same again and I broke it all the next season. And the rest, you know the story.”
Despite his struggles, there were flashes of his brilliance and the 33-year-old admitted that he felt the same.
“But if you look at my whole career, the first month of the season is the part that I thought was just the beginning, and then, starting from September and October, I was flying, because I needed time.”
Eventually, when everything just stopped working for the winger, in October 2023, he decided to call time on his career.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho talks Carlos Espi, Diomande, Guler, Tchouameni, Atletico Madrid after Elche 2-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid found another way to win, but Jose Mourinho was hardly celebrating the manner of it.
Carlos Espi’s injury-time strike completed a 3-2 comeback against Elche, rescuing Madrid after they had surrendered control of a game that appeared to be in their hands.
For Mourinho, the result was welcome, but the performance raised a familiar concern.
“When everything seems easy and you let things slide, it’s dangerous. Then the team reacts and wins, but it’s not pleasant.
“The other good thing is that nobody gets bored with these matches. They’re fun,” he began saying.
Mourinho knows what is going wrong
The Portuguese coach was particularly frustrated by another drop in intensity after the interval.
Real Madrid had opportunities to put the game beyond Elche before allowing their advantage to disappear. Mourinho believes that pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
“It seems obvious to me. It’s easy to understand. These are games that are all but over, where we have chances to seal the deal but don’t. After failing to do so, we go from having it easy to losing control.
“If we play poorly from the first minute to the 90th, the concern is huge.
“If we have periods where we’re at our best and others where we’re not proactive, just waiting, lacking intensity… Of course it’s a concern. But we won.”
The win keeps Madrid moving, but Mourinho’s concern is less about the points than the way his team is repeatedly making matches unnecessarily complicated.
Carlos Espi again provided the decisive moment from the bench, although Mourinho knows breaking into the starting XI will be difficult with Mbappé ahead of him.
“He’s a guy who works hard and is very motivated,” Mourinho said.
He then added, “He’s up against a player who’s in a league of his own (Mbappe), and we’re well aware of that.”
Madrid derby comes at a delicate moment
Next up is Atletico Madrid, and Mourinho’s attention is already turning towards the derby.
Rather than focusing on the opposition, he remains concerned about his own side’s ability to manage matches.
“The only explanation I can find is that we can’t keep going like this. We misjudged the opportunities we had, and once they score a goal, everything changes,” explained the Real Madrid coach.
Meanwhile, there were positives to take from individual performances, as Mourinho praised Yan Diomande’s development after another energetic outing.
“He’s improving. Physically, you can tell he has more minutes under his belt. He has a great work ethic and intelligence—he’s done a great job.”
Mourinho refuses to call Guler indispensable
Arda Guler’s importance was also questioned after another fantastic performance, but Mourinho rejected the idea that any player is beyond replacement.
“No, no one is indispensable. We were losing control when I made the substitutions; Vini did a great job on defence, but he was very tired.
“And Arda, who was playing in the number 10 position, was also losing intensity.
“I brought in a fresh Jude and Brahim when we were down 0-2, but I could sense we were losing control. That’s how it goes for us. And then, we brought in the heavy artillery and turned it around.”
Mourinho was also pleased with Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde during Madrid’s strongest spells.
“When the team was playing well, he and Valverde were playing well. They broke through the pressure easily, with skill.
“But the game had two phases—or rather three: one until it was 0–2, another until it was 2–2, and another until the end. They did a good job,” he concluded.
Source: AS
