Why I Failed At Real Madrid – Hazard

Eden Hazard has revealed what went wrong during his ill-fated stay at Real Madrid.

Hazard spent four years at Real Madrid after joining in a big-money move from Chelsea in 2019, but he failed to live up to expectations at the Santiago Bernabeu.

He struggled with injuries and inconsistency before announcing his retirement from football in the summer after Real Madrid terminated his contract.

The former Chelsea star has now admitted that Real Madrid was bigger than him and he struggled to cope with the pressure of playing for the club.

Hazard said: “I’ve been a Zinedine Zidane fan since I was a child. The Bernabeu, the white kit… it has a charm that others don’t have. Real Madrid is special.

“Beyond that, I don’t think that I fit in. It’s not like me. It’s a bit of a ‘swaggering’ club, and I’m not like that. I also didn’t like the way we played if you compare it to other clubs. But, it was my dream. I couldn’t finish my career without coming here.

“I would’ve liked to do things my way and succeed. It shows that Real Madrid is bigger than anything else. It’s complicated to play there. Maybe I needed to train more. I also had the worst injuries at the worst times.”

The former Belgium captain also admitted that he struggled with a lack of desire at times while at Real Madrid.

Hazard continued: “They say I was a slacker,” Hazard said. “But I haven’t spent 16 years [as a professional] without training. The little games, the little runs, I was there.

“It’s true that some mornings I arrived without sleeping well, not feeling like it, no desire, and when it’s like that, I show it.

“With Chelsea I’d just finished one of the best seasons of my career. I said to myself, ‘now that I’m at Real Madrid, this is perhaps the last vacation I’ll be able to take.”

Hazard scored just seven goals and recorded 12 assists in 76 appearances in all competitions for Real Madrid after spending four years in Spain.

He was regarded as “the greatest flop in Real Madrid history” and “one of the worst transfers ever.” by Real Madrid supporters.