08 February 2024 , 14:06
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Eden Hazard has been accused of "making fun of the world of football" after admitting he would "let myself go every summer".
Hazard announced his retirement from football last year at the age of just 32, having left Real Madrid four months earlier after an ill-fated stint at the Bernabeu. He was signed from Chelsea in 2019, but failed to make the same impact in Madrid as he had at Stamford Bridge.
In 76 appearances across all competitions Hazard made just 19 goal contributions and, having been accused of turning up for pre-season five kilos overweight when he first joined the club, his recent admissions have not gone down well with French World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry.
"It's very easy to say this now but it should have been said before," Dugarry told RMC Sport. "It's when you sign your multi-million contract that you should tell the president that you’re going out that evening.
"Did he say to his manager and teammates that he was getting drunk and that he didn't like running in training? Football is a professional and team sport. You have obligations. You can't respect everything to the letter but to promote this nonsense is a shame.
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"Hazard was a great player but it's a shame for the supporters who paid to see him play when he was drunk the day before. His interview is making fun of the world of football. If you want to act like a courageous guy, you have to say it before. Why didn't he tell [Zinedine] Zidane this before being signed by Real Madrid?"
Reflecting on his struggles in Spain, Hazard told France Football earlier this month: "With Chelsea, I have just finished a sick season, one of the best of my career. I said to myself: 'Now I'm at Real, this is perhaps the last vacation where I'll be able to...
"And I let myself go like I let myself go every summer. Seven years in England, without a break at Christmas, giving everything, so when I have three or four weeks of vacation, 'don't bother me', barbecues, rosé, all that. And that's what allowed me to reset and start again.
Christophe Dugarry has accused Hazard of "making fun of the world of football" (2020 Chris Brunskill/Fantasista)"Afterwards, Real, things went badly, and that's it. I'm not going to say that I was abusing it. I wasn't paying attention. But I didn't go to McDonald's every day. You don't last 16 years pro. I didn't give it any importance.
"I'm a bon vivant, I like to eat. With friends, we have a drink. It happened to me the day before a match, eating at home, drinking a small bottle, tack. Oh my, Boxing Day, it's Christmas, raclettes, wine [he claps his hands].
"We were going I don't know where [but he scored] goal, goal - while people tell me to be careful. It's weird. Diets sucks, it's useless. Well, it's good if you want to play until you're 40. I knew that wouldn't be my case. A little Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, it’s in the fridge all the time."