Real Madrid News
Struggling Real Madrid superstar looking at the World Cup as opportunity to salvage season
Eden Hazard has endured a torrid time since joining Real Madrid from Chelsea in the summer of 2019 in a deal worth over €100 million. Injury and fitness woes have constantly bogged down the Belgian international who has looked like a pale shadow of his past self.
Following Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League triumph last season, the 31-year-old had vowed that the new campaign will be his best in white. But that has not materialised as Hazard has once again struggled to make any sort of impact.
Indeed, the attacker has played just six times across all competitions this term, scoring and assisting just one goal apiece.
Despite his struggles, Hazard has been named in the Belgium squad for the FIFA World Cup along with Thibaut Courtois. The 31-year-old winger will be leading the Red Devils at the quadrennial event in Qatar in over a week.
And, according to AS, Hazard is looking at the World Cup as his opportunity to salvage his struggling campaign and find some form.
As iterated earlier, the veteran wing-wizard has played just six times this term, of which only two have been starts. Furthermore, the attacker has not played a single minute of La Liga football since early September.
For him to earn some relevance in the Real Madrid setup, Hazard will need to enjoy a solid World Cup campaign. A strong performance for Belgium, thus, could help the 31-year-old play an increased part in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans for the second half of the 2022/23 season.
It could also help him attract suitors for either the January window or the summer as Real Madrid will reportedly look to part ways with their record signing in the near future.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool monitoring 19-year-old Bundesliga wonderkid – Romano
According to Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool are all monitoring Bayer Leverkusen and Germany wonderkid Florian Wirtz.
After recovering from his ACL injury, the teenage sensation has been slowly working his way back to his best form. So far this term, Wirtz has managed to rack up a tally of two goals and six assists from 13 matches in all competitions.
The 19-year-old’s talent and potential have never been in question and hence it does not come as a surprise that elite clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool are all keeping tabs on the German international.
A versatile attacking midfielder, Wirtz is capable of playing anywhere in the final third of the pitch and backs up with top-notch end product. Be it as a false-nine or in a more withdrawn role, the youngster has excelled for Bayer Leverkusen, catching the attention of top teams.
Real Madrid, for their part, are also understood to be among Wirtz’s admirers. Given the situation surrounding Karim Benzema’s fitness and the lack of backup at the top, the youngster could be an option, as he has shown potential while operating through the middle.
But Barcelona also have a strong interest in the teenager with reports even suggesting that they have already made contact with his father to enquire about his situation.
At the same time, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is understood to be a huge admirer of his fellow German and with Roberto Firmino on his way out, Wirtz could be lined up as a possible replacement.
However, Romano adds that the expectation is that Wirtz could stay at Bayer Leverkusen for one more year and depart Germany once the UEFA Euro 2024 is out of the way.
For now, there have been talks or negotiations with any clubs, but Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool are all tracking Wirtz and his progress in Germany.
