Eden Hazar’s quest to find his best for Real Madrid suffered another setback. He was brought on as a late substitute for Vinicius Jr, against Celta Vigo, with Los Blancos 4-1 up and the three points all but secured. The Belgian was handed the chance to open his account for the season though, when he got the chance to take a penalty kick.
Unfortunately, Hazard failed to convert from the spot and while it did not have an impact on the result of the game, it surely would have been another blow to the Belgian’s confidence.
Hazard has gone through a torrid time ever since joining Real Madrid, after a magnificent run at Chelsea. Promises were made though that he will turn things around and be back to his best this season.
Carlo Ancelotti does not seem to be bothered by Hazard’s penalty miss though and believes the Belgian is coming back to his best. As reported by Tribuna, the manager said after the Celta Vigo game:
"“Eden Hazard is coming back to his best, he has shown it. The penalty miss does not change anything.“I am happy that Benzema gave the penalty to Eden, it doesn’t matter that he missed. Very good gesture from Karim with Hazard, who has played little, but is showing that he is coming back.”"
Ancelotti makes massive Hazard claim amidst the Belgian’s struggles at Real Madrid
Hazard coming back to his best would be brilliant for Real Madrid, because at the top of his game, he is one of the best in the world.
He was simply unstoppable during his time at Chelsea. According to stats from Transfermarkt, Hazard scored 110 goals and provided 92 assists in 352 appearances for the Blues. On the other hand, he has scored 6 goals and assisted a further 10 in 67 games for Real Madrid.
Is it possible for Hazard to return to his best though? The Belgian is 31 years of age now and has struggled with a series of injuries ever since arriving at Real Madrid back in 2019. It will be interesting to see, but there is positive noise surrounding him at the moment and that is a good sign for sure.