“You can feel sorry for people who have a much worse life than him” – Toni Kroos’ scathing verdict on Real Madrid teammate Eden Hazard resurfaces
Toni Kroos' brutal verdict on his former Real Madrid teammate Eden Hazard has re-surfaced after the Belgian winger announced his retirement from professional football.
Hazard, 32, had a stellar career in the Premier League with Chelsea. He joined Los Merengues in 2019 for a fee of $114 million. Fans had high hopes for Hazard when he arrived at the Spanish capital as one of the best footballers in the world.
His career, however, went downhill after the move to Santiago Bernabeu. Hazard had a torrid stint at the club, scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists in 76 matches during the four-season spell.
There was never any doubt about Hazard's exceptional talent and ability. However, the Belgian's work ethic and training efforts, or the lack of it, were often pointed out by his former teammates.
That arguably played a major role in Hazard's rapid decline. Toni Kroos once provided a scathing verdict on Eden Hazard's failed Real Madrid stint. Kroos said (via SPORTBible):
"We had another player who came for a lot of money and basically let his career die. It was a lot of money, I think everyone would say that wasn't a good transfer. But let's be positive."
Kroos also refused to sympathize with Hazard for his poor stretch of form. The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner added:
"Of course it's a difficult situation, but pity is out of place in football. I don't think Eden has a bad life. You can feel sorry for people who have a much worse life than him. It's not about money, I don't feel sorry for anyone in football."
What went wrong with Eden Hazard at Real Madrid?
When Eden Hazard was handed the No. 7 shirt at Real Madrid, many thought that the club had found their successor for Cristiano Ronaldo. Given what Hazard achieved for Chelsea, the idea didn't seem too far-fetched.
Hazard, though, struggled massively. His stint was marred with injury issues and with time, managers stopped relying on the superstar winger. That resulted in Hazard becoming a fringe player.
Eden Hazard eventually left Real Madrid at the end of the 2022-23 season by mutually terminating his contract.