Eden Hazard suffered an injury last weekend during Real Madrid‘s surprising 1-0 win against Levante. According to CBS Sports, the Belgian will miss up to three months of action. This has basically ended Hazard’s season early. The winger has played ten league games and five further games in the Champions League this season. It’s safe to say that Hazard’s debut season has been a disappointment due to the multiple injuries he suffered.
Eden Hazard’s First Season as Real Madrid
No Eden Hazard for Zinedine Zidane
Hazard never got the proper time to adjust to La Liga. Zinedine Zidane hasn’t had the Belgian at his full power at his disposal this season, despite an impressive title challenge that Los Blancos have mounted. It’s not a hot take to state that Hazard is Real Madrid’s most talented player. His move to the Spanish capital was supposed to facilitate a Champions League challenge. It’s still early in the Champions League to see if Real Madrid will mount a real challenge.
While Hazard isn’t a like for like replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, he is still an elite player that plays on the left-wing. Interestingly enough, Hazard, while established, still has a lot to prove in his career. He proved himself at Chelsea in the Premier League and had a fantastic World Cup with Belgium in 2018. However, Hazard has never had any Champions League masterclasses in his career.
Unfortunately, Hazard turned 29 in January. He will work to reset next season but with a rigorous European Championship tournament in June, He likely won’t have a full pre-season with Real Madrid.
Was Eden Hazard the Right Purchase?
Time might be running out for the former Chelsea man. The transfer to Real Madrid might have been too little too late. Wingers like Hazard, in most cases, begin to decline once they hit 30. It’d be naive to think Hazard would have a massive decline immediately after turning 30, but one would wonder if it was worth it for Real Madrid.
Hindsight is 20/20 and not many expected Hazard to have all the injuries that he’s had this season. However, one could argue that Real Madrid should’ve gone for a younger option such as Kylian Mbappe. The fact is Florentino Perez still has the money to splurge on Mbappe. On top of that, Real Madrid produce enough talents that they can sell to keep their books balanced.
Real Madrid are arguably the biggest club in the world, which means they are always in win-now mode. Hazard is one of the world’s best but young stars such as Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior, and even the loaned out Martin Odegaard will be ready to step up if Hazard fails to work out.
At his absolute best, Hazard frightens defences. Now that he is a little older and suffering injuries, his minutes need to be managed in order to be at his fittest. Players like Gareth Bale, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery have seen the latter years of their careers marred by injuries. Real Madrid certainly do not want another Bale situation on their hands. Hazard is a brilliant player and Real Madrid will be a different monster in the attacking third if he can hit his stride next season.
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