“He’s not like Cristiano Ronaldo”, “He didn’t like to train” - Ex-coach makes big claim on why Eden Hazard failed at Real Madrid
Former youth coach Luc Eymael has explained why Eden Hazard didn't succeed at Real Madrid, citing the example of Cristiano Ronaldo. The 39-year-old spent hugely successful seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Widely regarded as one of the best players in the game's history, Ronaldo is also one of the game's fittest players and has an impeccable work ethic and dedication to training.
Meanwhile, Hazard arrived at the Bernabeu a year after Ronaldo had left in 2018 but struggled to replicate his Chelsea form. He eventually left last summer after a forgettable injury-plagued spell.
Explaining why things never worked out for Hazard in Madrid, Eymael suggested that the Belgian's motivation was an issue and that he was never as disciplined in training as Ronaldo. He told SportsBoom.com (via GOAL):
“Why Eden stopped his career and why he didn’t do well at Real Madrid, first of all, I think that Real Madrid was too big for Hazard, and I think his motivation was less high than when he was at Chelsea.
"Hazard has always been a very talented player, but he is a player that is not like Cristiano, like these types of players, like Ibrahimovic or even Olivier (Giroud), these guys here are a bit old, but these players are very disciplined in matters of urging of life and in matters of training.
Citing the contrast between Eden Hazard's and Cristiano Ronaldo's attitude to training, he continued:
"Hazard doesn’t like too much training. Unfortunately, that is the truth, he is a very talented player and he had a fantastic career, a big respect for him, he is a very good person.
"But that is one thing, in football when you reach a certain age, you need to work harder, when you see Ronaldo, he comes the first one in training and leaves the last one in training. He is rich and doesn’t need any money anymore, but he wants to show to everybody that he is still there. He is still hungry about football, and I think even worse hungry about the game.”
He concluded:
“I am not in Hazard’s head, but that is my thinking, also he didn’t like to train, he didn’t like to train hard and more, and he didn’t want to be committed 100 per cent. As a player you have to take care of your body by training through specific training sessions.
"If you lose motivation or commitment, automatically you have a discipline issue, and automatically you cannot perform. And that is why you see the Hazard at Real Madrid and the Hazard at Chelsea was a big difference.”
Hazard bagged just seven goals and 12 assists in 76 games across competitions in his four years at the Bernabeu. Contrast that with his Chelsea numbers: 110 goals and 85 assists in 352 games.
While Eden Hazard is retired, Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo is still going strong
Eden Hazard called time on his professional career after his Real Madrid stint ended. However, six years after leaving the Bernabeu as their all-time top scorer (450 goals in 438 games), Cristiano Ronaldo is still going strong.
Fresh off a 44-goal club season with Al-Nassr - including a record 35 strikes in the Saudi Pro League - Ronaldo scored twice in the 3-0 friendly win over Ireland on Tuesday (June 11) to become the first male player to score in 21 consecutive years in international football.
With Portugal looking to add to their 2016 title at Euro 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo is chasing a slew of records. He's already the competition's all-time record goalscorer and appearance maker.