Belgian ex-player Georges Leekens is hopeful that Eden Hazard will return to be the player he was. "I recently saw he ran 12.3 kilometres during a game!".
Eden Hazard left a good impression at the Coliséum. When Vinicius tested positive for Covid-19, it looked like the Belgian might return to the starting XI but once again Ancelotti left him on the bench. It was a surprise that only 45 minutes, the Italian coach brought him for the second half, replacing Marco Asensio in a bid to cancel out Enes Ünal's opener. Hazard's introduction improved Real Madrid although more in terms of image than effectiveness. Ancelotti was delighted, enthusing afterwards, “He was brilliant”. In Belgium, the coach's reaction was picked up by the media. Back home, no one has lost faith in Hazard - they believe he will be back at his best this year, just in time for the World Cup finals.
One of those who is a firm believer that Hazard will come good is Georges Leekens, a former player and manager. "I am a total fan of Eden's," he told Le Soir. “He's struggled because of a series of fitness problems. Going to Real Madrid wasn't easy. In Madrid you have to survive. Fortunately for him he didn't go to Barcelona - it's even worse there. But Eden has managed to come back stronger after all he's been through. He's running about like a rabbit now. I watched one of his games quite recently - he ended having run 12.3 kilometres! That's incredible and shows how committed he is. Thanks to his strength of character, he can achieve great things. And when he's happy and smiling, he's simply phenomenal”.
2022 - Hazard's year
Hazard cost Real Madrid 100 million euros (plus other bonuses for reaching certain objectives) when he swapped Chelsea for the Spanish capital a few seasons ago. He joined on a five-year deal in the summer of 2019 and earns 30 million euros gross per season. But he has never managed to fullfil his expectations - he's also been incredibly unlucky with injuries. Today, he is not even guaranteed a place in the starting line-up and if Kylian Mbappé joins in the summer he will find it even harder to break back into the side with Benzema and Vinicius already firmly established. That isn't counting the possibility that Madrid could sign other forwards such as Erling Haaland or even Robert Lewandowski. But Eden's goal is to return to be the player which lit up the Premier League in 2022. There were hopeful signs against Getafe and he was rewarded with praise from the coach. Hazard's return to form would be the best news Real Madrid could hope for as they enter the final part of the season.