Chelsea’s star man Eden Hazard has been in exceptional form for the Blues’ this season as they race toward the Premier League title. However, the PFA Player of the Year nominee has been the subject of mass speculation in recent months regarding a possible transfer to European giants Real Madrid.
Would he continue the form he has shown in England over in La Liga? Or would he be just another galactico struggling to find a spot in a team full of stars? Some former Chelsea men have had their say on the matter, and advised the Belgian to stay put at the Bridge. As the Telegraph reported, Germany legend Michael Ballack questions Hazard’s attitude, and his suitability to cope and compete with the big egos at Real Madrid.
“Eden had not a good season last year and sometimes you don’t really know what happens to players, but it seems to me that he’s a bit of an emotional player who needs support and needs to feel really comfortable with the coach and the team and in his private life as well, so that he can perform,” said Ballack.
“I’m pretty sure if he moved to Real Madrid, he would have to fight for that standing again and it would take time because he’s a bit of an introvert. He’s not a player who talks a lot and Real Madrid, if you see the players they have, it would be a different situation for him.
“At Chelsea he knows what he has, he’s the top player at the club, he lives in a fantastic city. To give that up, he has to decide if he wants that. I think he’s the key player at Chelsea for the next one or two years. He has to decide if he wants to give that up for Real Madrid or if he wants to be successful with Chelsea and go into the Champions League, on another level, and help them back to where they were in Europe.
“It’s up to him. But he has this picture, he has this view. It’s difficult. They are talking about a lot of money. That’s surely also a reason for a player or a club. But if you speak about football facts, I think he’s in a position where he fights for a long time and he will not have the standing he has now at Chelsea at many clubs in Europe, so he has to fight for that and that takes a few years again.”
These are important points to consider, it’s not just whether Hazard has the technical ability to cope, but also the mental strength too. We have seen Gareth Bale nearly crumble under the pressure at the Bernabeu before coming out the other side; does Hazard have the mind-set to do the same? Possibly not.
France ’98 World Cup winner and Chelsea legend Marcel Desailly has also had his say on the move in recent weeks.
“I’m not sure Eden Hazard has that intention of being that top player, being first choice at Real Madrid,” said the Frenchman.
“Remember, Hazard has been in the Chelsea system for five years, and he’s been doing well, but he’s not been doing what we expected of him – scoring goals and being the equivalent of Ronaldo or Messi, he’s on and off. I’m not sure he’s full ready to change and take the risk, because he will want to play regular football.”
Comparing Hazard with Ronaldo and Messi in terms of goals may be a bit of an unfair comparison but you can see where Desailly is coming from. It would surely take a world-record fee to prize the Belgian from Stamford Bridge and the last time Madrid did that was of course the purchase of Ronaldo. The fans would be expecting a similar output and will almost certainly be left disappointed when they compare the record of the two.
Hazard should stick with Chelsea; he’s a star man in a team on the up. Conte will be looking to make a serious impact on Europe next season and you wouldn’t be surprised if Chelsea were competing on an even keel with Madrid over the coming years.
The Belgian has a good thing going on at Bridge, and with the Blues looking well set to secure yet another Premier League crown, why should he even consider leaving?