Hazard’s homecoming: Madrid set to offload ‘quirky’ Belgian, Chelsea linked with sensational move amid off-field crisis

It was in 2019 when Eden Hazard arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu. During his presentation at Real Madrid’s home stadium, the Belgium superstar was presented to tens of thousands of fans and he was dubbed as their next superstar and long-term replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo. Madrid went on to break its own club record by splurging 100 million euros on Hazard, who was entrusted with the responsibility of helping the team win its first major title since Ronaldo’s exit.

“I have dreamt of this moment since I was very young since I was playing in my family’s garden,” Hazard, who was keen on playing for his ‘idol’ Zinedine Zidane had said upon his arrival. Three years hence, Hazard is tagged among the biggest transfer flops in the club’s history. He has so far scored six times in 65 appearances, failing to live up to the star status he achieved in London where he steered the Premier League giants to two Premier League and Europa League titles, and even led Belgium to a third-place finish in the World Cup.

Also Read | Chelsea’s future uncertain after sanctions against owner Roman Abramovich

Hazard has played sparingly for Madrid this season, and he is also set to miss the Champions League game versus Chelsea. The 31-year-old forward will be undergoing surgery to remove a plate in his right leg, plunging further misery on his injury-laden spell with the club. He is expected to be out of action for four to six weeks with clouds looming over the future of the Belgian at Bernabeu.

Hazard’s current contract runs until 2024 and Madrid could consider the option of loaning him out to trim the wage bill. But will he head to Stamford Bridge? Popular sports anchor and commentator John Dykes also feels that the Real Madrid number 7 is in a tricky spot at the moment with his stocks falling down by a considerable margin. Also, the current ownership situation at Chelsea adds extra complications to Hazard’s transfer saga.

“The noise coming out from his camp tells that his contract will be running out in 2024 but that doesn’t guarantee him game time. He hasn’t featured in a single El Classico. It’s a very unfortunate situation. Hazard is a very quirky and strange character… he’s his own man. He doesn’t follow the rules and will do strange things at times… and I don’t know what to expect from Hazard. It’s simple to say, ‘He will go back to Chelsea. He loved it there’. But the current situation at Chelsea makes it tough,” he told Hindustan Times in a virtual interaction.

“If you’re Chelsea right now, I don’t think it makes an awful lot of sense to go for Hazard. His stock has fallen so much in international terms that I don’t know which of the international clubs would be prepared to spend the kind of money to get him right now. Unfortunately, it seems that he’s to run his contract through,” he further added.

Hazard’s return to Chelsea was reportedly ‘ready to be explored’ by Chelsea before the government imposed sanctions on Roman Abramovich. The Russian oligarch put the club up for sale on 2nd March, five days after Ukraine’s invasion.

While Hazard will miss Madrid’s trip to Stamford Bridge in the Champions League quarter-finals, Chelsea fans will see a familiar face return to the venue, albeit in a different jersey. Thibaut Courtois, was Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper for four seasons before heading to Madrid in 2018, will be playing in front of his former club’s fans.

The Belgian has also expressed sympathy for his previous club’s fans as they face a tumultuous phase that Chelsea is going through at present. “Yes, it’s a difficult period, but I think you can see that the people who love Chelsea want to keep the same spirit,” he said before the tie.

Madrid was eliminated by eventual champions Chelsea in the semis last year and the 13-time Champions League winners will look to turn things around this season. Real Madrid or Chelsea will play either Manchester City or Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals.

Watch UEFA Champions League 2021-22 (Quarter-final Leg 1) – LIVE on SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 1 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels from April 6, 2022, at 12:30 am IST.

Watch Chelsea vs. Real Madrid Live on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on April 7, 2022