03 February 2024 , 14:43
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Eden Hazard has taken aim at “big-headed” Real Madrid in his first major interview since retiring last summer.
And the former Chelsea star, whose final seasons were blighted by injury, said he did not succeed with the Spanish giants because he did not fit the club’s ethos.
Hazard described it as a childhood dream to join Los Blancos because he idolised Zinedine Zidane but has no regrets about how things ended at the Bernabeu following his blockbuster move from Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2019.
“It's easy to say now since I was little, I was a fan of Zidane,” Hazard told France Football. “There was Zidane, so I liked Real. The Bernabeu, white jersey, there is a charm that the others don't have. Real is special.
“Afterwards, I don't think so. It is not me. It's a bit of a big-headed club, and I'm not really like that. Even the way of playing didn't suit me, if you compare with other clubs. But it was my dream. I couldn't stop my career without coming here.
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“I felt all this. As I always did, I would have liked to turn around, do it my way, and succeed. It proves that Real is bigger than everything. It's complicated to play there.
“Maybe I needed to practise more. I also had the wrong injuries at the wrong times. The operation, the installation of the plate, the confinement. I come back, I'm in pain, I'm forcing myself. Second season, I fart everywhere. [Carlo] Ancelotti arrives. Good preparation, I play well. But my body, the pain, the injuries.”
Hazard continues to live in Madrid post-retirement and says he has no regrets despite the failure at Real - and he also revealed that his ambition now is to live quietly away from the public eye with his family.
“I'm lucky to have been in this industry and to have made a lot of money. People struggle every day, I have no right to complain, even when I wasn't playing, even when injured, saying "life sucks". Impossible. I was in pain but on the other hand...
Eden Hazard struggled with Real Madrid"In the end, I took it as an excuse, 'I'm in pain, I can't really do it.' Not depressed but no longer wanting it. Travelling, starting a project again, moving the children, moving, I no longer had the energy, the strength. Pleasure was my path, my direction. There was no more, it's no use, over.”
The former attacker believes VAR is ruining football and is only interested in watching his brother Thorgan in action for Anderlecht. And asked what he would like to do now, Hazard added: “In the best of all worlds, I would go far away, into the mountains, in self-sufficiency, with sheep, even though I am not a shepherd.
“Or a kind of world tour with the children in a camper van. The less exposure I have, the better. However, I liked being in the spotlight, being the best on a team, it was great, but I didn't need it. I won't miss it. I liked professional football, but I don't want to go back. 100 per cent safe.”