Exit The Glass Man: Eden Hazard Departs Real Madrid Via Backdoor

LEIPZIG, GERMANY - OCTOBER 25: Eden Hazard of Real Madrid looks on during the UEFA Champions League ... [+] group F match between RB Leipzig and Real Madrid at Red Bull Arena on October 25, 2022 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Last summer, Eden Hazard promised Real Madrid fans that they would soon get to see the real Hazard, the one they had yearned for, the player who’d justify the 115 million euro price tag and who dazzled so often with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. His promise, unfortunately, proved empty. In all, the Belgian featured only for 392 minutes for the club in the 2022-23 season, making a mere six appearances in Liga Liga.

And so, Real Madrid dissolved his contract. His boyhood dream of representing Real Madrid had ultimately turned into a nightmare. Without a club and retired from the national team, Hazard is hardly an active soccer player these days.

In 2019, he had arrived at the Bernabeu Stadium, having missed just 20 games in seven seasons at Chelsea, but once in Madrid, he became a glass man, limping from injury to injury, his entire time at the club blighted by physical problems, a lack of motivation and an unprofessional lifestyle.

He became alienated and coach Carlo Ancelotti did not have much time for Hazard. "The relationship is not cold," said the Italian manager earlier in 2023. "He has been very honest, we don't talk a lot and that's the truth. Many times it's a question of character, you find it easier to communicate with certain individuals. If he does not play much it is because there is a lot of competition. In his position, there is a player who is contributing a lot and that is Vinicius."

Indeed, in the past two seasons, the young Brazilian, who arrived in the Spanish capital from Flamengo as a teenager, outshined Hazard to cement his place in the starting XI. Vinicius Jr played a vital role in the team, forming a strong partnership with striker Karim Benzema and even scoring the winning goal in last year's Champions League final against Liverpool.

In contrast, Hazard was a European Cup winner all but in name. From viruses to a fibula fracture, the Belgian was injured or ill 18 times while in Madrid. Critically, in a Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain in November 2019, he injured his ankle and he never fully recovered from that setback.

Comparisons were often drawn with Gareth Bale, who also arrived in Madrid following a steep transfer fee but often remained on the bench or underperformed. Bale, however, contributed crucial goals in the 2014 and 2018 Champions League finals. Brazilian Ricardo Kaka was another disastrous transfer for Madrid. The midfielder spent much of his time sidelined with injuries and yet it is hard to not regard Hazard, who flopped across the board, Madrid's worst transfer in modern history.

He matched neither the expectations nor his price tag, but, above all, unlike his compatriots Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois, Hazard's bond with the sport deserted him and, with it, the wonder of the player that he once was.