When he arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid’s marquee signing last summer, Eden Hazard could not have imagined his first La Liga season would pan out quite like this.
A thigh injury stalled the start of his campaign, and then a broken ankle took the Belgium skipper out of action before the coronavirus outbreak sidelined everyone else.
He’s made just ten appearances for Los Blancos, scoring one goal, and the fracture to his ankle was expected to keep him out for two months.
So now Hazard is ready to return and could play a big part in Real Madrid’s run-in. Los Blancos are poised, just two points behind the Blaugrana and a title win would be an amazing end to his first tumultuous campaign.
The latest La Liga 2020 betting odds favour the Catalans, but there will be twists and turns to come with 11 games remaining.
He has some way to go to become a Real Madrid legend, but if he can contribute to a triumphant season over the next few weeks then he’ll have taken the first step.
Let’s take a closer look at the midfield star who could still inspire Los Blancos to glory.
Made in France
In 2005, at the tender age of 16, Eden Hazard hopped over the border from Belgium to play for Ligue 1 club Lille.
He impressed immediately as a star in the academy and made his professional debut in November 2007, winning the Ligue 1 Player of the Year in his first full season making him the first foreign player to win that award.
He won the same award in 2010 before heading on to pastures anew.
Premier League Superstar
English football fans watched Hazard develop from a young prodigy to a world superstar in seven outstanding seasons in the Premier League. Chelsea fans had a glimpse of what was to come when he made his debut against Wigan Athletic.
He made an assist as Branislav Ivanovic put the Blues ahead and then won a penalty which Frank Lampard converted to give Chelsea a 0-2 victory. He made the shortlist for the 2013 Ballon D’Or and then starred in the 2014/15 season as Chelsea won the Premier League.
Chelsea supporters will remember Hazard’s jinking run which won the penalty to hand the Blues the 2018 FA Cup against Manchester United, and opposition fans will recall in horror how he terrorized their own defences time and time again.
Modric wouldn’t hand over the Number 10 shirt
Hazard made his big-money move to Real Madrid last summer, and if the add-ons are met then the fee Los Blancos will eventually pay for him will be around 150-M Euros.
That would make him Los Blancos most expensive player of all time. And while those of us who watched him in England wouldn’t argue with that, it didn’t particularly impress his Real team-mate Luka Modric.
Hazard wanted the Number 10 shirt he wore at Chelsea and wears for Belgium. But the Croatian midfield ace was unwilling to give it up, so the new man was handed the Number 7 shirt instead, previously worn by Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul and that’s not so bad!
The Hazard Football Family
The entire Hazard clan has football running through its veins.
Eden was born in La Louviere to Carine and Thierry, both talented players. Eden’s mum was a striker in the Belgium Women’s First Division, while his dad was a defensive midfielder for La Louviere in the Belgian Second tier.
Eden turned out to be a fusion of the two as an attacking midfielder, as is his brother Thorgan, now starring for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.
Eden’s Hero is his Boss
In his early years, Hazard spent hours watching football online, and his favourite player was France and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane – now the boss in his second stint as Los Blancos head coach.
As a player, Zidane won La Liga and the Champions League with Real. As manager, he guided them to three Champions League triumphs in a row.
What Hazard would give to emulate his hero and boss and win a La Liga medal and if he does it in his first season, it would be a dream come true.
Only time will tell and hopefully, we won’t have to wait too long.
The Spanish football season is inching ever closer to a return and here at SBOBET, we’ll be right back with all the latest La Liga 2020 news and updates the minute they happen.
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