Eden Hazard: the fairytale without a happy ending?

In 2019, Los Blancos bought Eden Hazard for a hefty amount of $112 million, hoping to fill Cristiano Ronaldo's void. Eden Hazard had a childhood dream of playing in the legendary Santiago Bernabéu, and the Madridistas had a long-held desire to see the magician himself. While the fulfillment of Hazard's dream truly felt like a match made in heaven, not all fairytales end up having a happy ending.

After a rough start to the season, he finally started to show his elegance on the pitch when his Belgium teammate, Thomas Meunier, injured him, prompting his nightmare at the Bernabeu. Since the incident against PSG, he hasn't recovered from that ankle injury.

What went wrong for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid?

According to Transfermarkt, Eden scored 110 goals and assisted 92 in 352 appearances. So, what went wrong at Real Madrid? Firstly, injuries hit Hazard very severely, as he wasn't the type of player that gets injured. He missed 59 matches for Real Madrid, which is not the Eden Hazard we witnessed at Chelsea.

With the Premier League being the world's most challenging and best league in European football, he dribbled past three to four defenders with ease, as if he was walking in a park.

Hazard was the star man at Chelsea, bagging all the goals and assists. He was the club's face and a fan favorite at Stamford Bridge, but it was different in Madrid. Similarly, everybody expected him to be the star man in Madrid, but he failed miserably. Hazard could not stand out against the likes of Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos and many more.

Real Madrid is one of the biggest clubs in football history, with 13 UCL trophies and 34 league titles. When a club of this caliber spends more than $100 million, they expect the best out of you, which even he could not portray.

Since the appointment of Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti, Eden Hazard has not been able to find a spot in the playing eleven. Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior are in top form with around 35 goals combined this season. Meanwhile, Eden Hazard is seen as a benchwarmer these days.

Ancelotti didn't rush him back onto the pitch after several setbacks from his previous injuries. It was a good move as Hazard doesn't often get injured like he did last season. Now, let's not jinx it. He has been fit recently but has only received a few minutes under his belt. Why? Because the Hazard we used to admire at Chelsea is not the same. After many injuries to the same ankle, he is scared to face a defender and avoids getting near any defender.

Luka Jovic showed commitment and hard work in the training field, and that's why he got the chance to show his ability and skills on the pitch. Luka Jovic took those chances, scored, and assisted Vinicius Junior in a 2-0 win against Real Sociedad. But Hazard isn't taking the opportunities he has been given.

Instead, he shows tiredness and a lack of commitment. This is why Carlo Ancelloti did not prefer Eden Hazard for the Supercopa de Espaa fixtures. Furthermore, he has dropped below Asensio and Rodrygo in the pick order.

Eden Hazard now has the task of turning things around. Either he will fight for his spot at Real Madrid or he will leave the Santiago Bernabeu.