Real Madrid fans have been anxiously waiting for Eden Hazard to have a transcendent performance for Los Blancos, and it seems like a breakout month is on the horizon for the Belgain superstar.
Since Real Madrid will end up paying well over 100 million euros for Eden Hazard, the former Chelsea star must feel like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’s fully expected to be Real’s best player in the 2019-2020 campaign, but Los Blancos fans haven’t quite seen enough of the world-class magic Hazard is capable of.
Hazard has shown flashes, though, and fans must be patient after he was working back from an injury, in addition to settling in a team that is notoriously difficult to integrate into. But Hazard is coming off of his best performance yet against Granada, scoring once – and beautifully, I might add – and assisting once in a 4-2 win.
There have been a lot of takes about Hazard, who recently received words of encouragement from Belgium manager Roberto Martinez. But another well-known managerial figure had a solid take on Hazard’s situation.
In an interview with BeIn Sports, via The Mirror’s Matt Maltby, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger stated that while Hazard can’t be expected to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, he is indeed “the answer” for Real Madrid.
"“Eden Hazard is an exceptional player to create chances to sometimes finish when he needs to do in big games. He’s not scared of anybody – I don’t think Real have yet to see the real Hazard, he’s not as sharp physically as he can be.”"
Wenger also praised the goal-scoring threat that Hazard brings and surmised that Los Blancos fans will see the “real” Hazard soon, particularly once he returns to full form.
Hazard has certainly shown signs of displaying the true extent of his qualities, judging by his strong performance against Granada. I love that Wenger highlighted Hazard’s ability to score around 10-15 goals per season consistently, because Karim Benzema, who already has six goals this season, needs someone else to pick up the scoring slack. And while Gareth Bale is playing decent football, he’s not really the answer.
But Hazard is indeed the answer to Real. Everything he brings to the table as a ball-carrier, chance-creator, and scorer is exactly what Real needed. All those qualities will finally come together soon enough.
You can generally count on Wenger for insightful, even-keeled opinions on the world’s best footballers, and these quotes were no exception. Real Madrid are in good hands with Eden Hazard as one of their superstars.