Hazard speaks out on Real Madrid future after another shocking season

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 1 Jun 2021 13:03 BST
• 5 min read

Real Madrid star Eden Hazard has spoken of his future and says that he does not envisage leaving the Bernabeu side.

Hazard arrived in the Spanish capital in a blockbuster 2019 move from Chelsea that was worth €100 million.

READ MORE: €40,000 a minute! The incredible cost of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid

The Belgium star has struggled to live up to that price tag, frustrating fans of Madrid, particularly when he was spotted laughing and joking with his former team-mates after the Champions League semi-final loss at Stamford Bridge. Such was the criticism, it led club-mate Gareth Bale to content that the attacker has been treated like a serial killer.

Hazard, though, has had his time in Madrid interrupted by a series of injury issues, the type of which he had never suffered previously in his career. He contends that if he can regain his fitness, there is nothing stopping him regaining his best level, which saw him touted as a potential Ballon d’Or winner.

Hazard pledges future to Real Madrid

Indeed, he does not see himself leaving Real Madrid any time soon.

“I don’t see myself anywhere other than Real Madrid,” Hazard told the press on Tuesday while on international duty with Belgium.

“I haven’t been able to show what I’m worth yet but I know I can obviously do better when I’m in good shape. I still have three years left of my contract and I intend to continue my adventure.”

Hazard had not necessarily been expected to leave the club this summer, but with the biggest salary on Madrid’s books and the club struggling financially, there will be immense pressure on him to perform next season.

To date, he has managed only 43 appearances and has played just 2,391 minutes of football. Incredibly, this works out at a cost of €39,400 per minute he has been on the field.

Hazard, meanwhile, found his best level at Chelsea, where he scored 21 goals in 52 matches during the 2018/19 campaign alone – a level that he has not come close to matching with Real Madrid.