PETE JENSON: It’s now or never for Eden Hazard to save his Real Madrid career…he’s come back slimmer, fitter and sharper this summer, and fans are hoping they will now FINALLY see the £128million superstar they are thought to get from Chelsea
Eden Hazard spent the summer with a fitness trainer to solve his off-season problems
The Belgian has been criticized for switching to overweight training earlier
Hazard had surgery in March and that has given him the freedom to find his full fitness
There is a sense in Madrid that Hazard is going to have a season to save his Real career
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The images of a fit Eden Hazard may have only surfaced in recent days, but the player himself sensed something was changing last March when routine surgery to remove a metal plate also took a significant weight off his shoulders.
Hazard broke his right ankle two years ago and had the plate put on to stabilize the injury as it healed.
It played through his mind constantly reminding him of the injury and he felt different when Doctor Jose Palacios removed it at Madrid University Hospital just before the end of last season.
The half-hour procedure may have finally settled the €150m (£128m) player just before his main season.
Eden Hazard has returned to prepare for Real Madrid’s season in his best form in years
Hazard has long been accused of being overweight since he left Chelsea for Los Blancos
This is a World Cup year and the tournament in Qatar will probably be his last World Cup. He is also now just two years after the end of his contract with a club that has shown great patience with him – patience he wants to reward.
In an era of wasteful purchases (eg Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele), Hazard was the worst.
Everyone else had their moments, not only has Hazard never scored against the likes of Barcelona, he never started against them. But this season seems to be different.
After working with a fitness trainer over the summer, he now looks a lot slimmer and sharper
Hazard had a metal plate removed from his ankle in March and that has made a big difference
Carlo Ancelotti developed Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes last season, and he rebuilt a defense shaved from Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane.
This season’s challenge is to save Hazard’s career at Real Madrid and the player is ready to respond.
Madrid had considered loaning Hazard this season, but President Florentino Perez wants his biggest asset to work.
He went to Hazard in the hospital after the procedure to get the plate out.
Hazard recovered quickly from surgery last season and even had a great chance to start the Champions League final against Liverpool. In the end he didn’t, but he celebrated the win as someone who knew he would be in Helsinki to play a big part in the Super Cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt.
The record and Hazard’s doubts about his full recovery led to him overexerting other parts of his body and sustaining muscle injuries that have hampered any attempt at continuity.
Hazard arrived as a ‘Galactico’-esque signing for Real Madrid, signing a £128m deal
Things have not gone according to plan with Hazard who lacked form and fitness during the years he was in Madrid
The finger of blame is often pointed at him. He is the first to admit that he is not at the level of other professionals when it comes to off-season fitness. He is not a thousand sit-ups a day man in the style of Cristiano Ronaldo.
His attitude has always been that he is best served by completely disconnecting in the summer and if that means coming back with a few extra pounds then that would be quickly eliminated, first in training and then competitions.
The problem with Madrid was that if you’re not at your best, you’re not on the team, so you don’t get those games under your belt to get match fit.
The feeling that now that the record is gone, Hazard could only blame himself if he didn’t start from the start of the season has prompted him to watch his diet this summer in a way that he hadn’t done before.
Hazard has not had the most luck at Madrid. He looked at his best after gaining five pounds in that first season, but a kick from Meunier in a match against PSG in November 2019 was the start of his injury hell.
Supporters have also been patient, unusually, and Hazard’s promise, made at the end of the season celebrations last May, was well received.
Hazard promised supporters he would turn a corner after winning the Champions League
The Belgian was an unused substitute in the Paris final against Liverpool last season
It remains to be seen how Ancelotti uses the attacker. Hazard could start on the right with Benzema in the middle and Vinicius on the left. Or Madrid could play a 4-2-3-1 with Hazard as the second striker behind Benzema. He could even replace Benzema in some matches, although Madrid fans really want the two to play together.
Hazard’s ankle also gave him problems at Chelsea, but he recovered well enough to have that brilliant last season at the club before moving to Spain. That’s what the Hazard Madrid fans want to see.
“I’m tired of watching old videos of him in a Chelsea shirt to see the old Hazard,” said famous fan Tomas Roncero.
The Chelsea version of himself is also what Hazard wants. He feels like he is finally back to the way he was when he left London for Madrid.