“I doubt a little”, Hazard says on his chances of playing for Real Madrid

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By Martin Graham | 16th Mar 2023

Eden Hazard has opened up on his struggles at Real Madrid and his hopes to earn some game time before the season runs out.

The former Chelsea ace has had a horrible time since switching the blue of the Premier League club to the white of the La Liga giants in 2019. Injuries and bad form have marred a move that was touted as the biggest since Cristiano Ronaldo’s switch from Manchester United to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2009.

Hazard has been fit enough for the most part of the ongoing season but Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has opted against playing him. The 32-year-old has now come out to speak on his feelings towards the matter.

“I want to play. I want to have fun on the field,” Hazard told RTBF. “Training is good but what keeps us alive are the matches. I hope deep inside me that I can bring something and that the coach is still counting on me, I hope. We’ll see if I’m still going to play by the end of the season. I doubt a little. It’s up to me to show him in training that he can call on me.”

Hazard also talked about the prospect of remaining at Madrid. “I would like to stay. I have always said it,” he explained. “To hope to play on the pitch to prove that I can still play football. People have doubts, it’s normal. I understand very well. But for me, I’m still here next year. A transfer is not in order of the day. But you never know.

“I don’t know [what could change my mind]. The only thing I think about is playing. That’s why I don’t even think about leaving. Deep down inside, I think I can bring something. I feel it, that’s all. People, if I bring a little, they’ll trust me again. They might say to themselves that they made a mistake leaving me out. I just need minutes in the legs.”

Ancelotti, on the other hand, has been accused of dealing coldly with Hazard and following the Belgian forward’s interview, adamantly expressed that there are nothing but good feelings between him and all his players.

“The relationship is not cold,” the legendary Italian manager said in the club’s press conference before their round of 16 second leg clash with Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.

“Look, you have to appreciate both things: Hazard has been honest, because I don’t talk to him much, it’s the truth. Talking is a question of character, you feel more comfortable with some people than with others. But the most important thing for me is that if we don’t talk a lot and if he doesn’t play a lot, he respects me, just like I respect him in the same exact way.

“Why doesn’t he play? Because there is a lot of competition and in his position there is a player who is contributing a lot, which is Vinicius.”