Hazard: "It's difficult to join a winning team, if they give me a little I can contribute"

MADRID, 19 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The forward of Real Madrid and the Belgium team, Eden Hazard, confirmed this Saturday that Real Madrid have never opened the exit door for him and, although he acknowledges that his three seasons in the white team are a "failure", he continues wanting to demonstrate his level, if injuries respect him.

"No one from the club ever came to me and told me 'you're very kind, but you have to go'. And I didn't want to leave. There was never that discussion", said the player in an interview with 'L'Equipe', collected by Europa Press, a few days before his team debuts in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, in what will foreseeably be their last World Cup event.

However, the Belgian is clear that he is looking for prominence and stability and, although he wants to continue in the white team, he leaves a possible exit in the summer in the air. "I like this club and this environment. I will not be loaned out during the season. I want stability. At the end of the season, it will be different. We can go back to something else. It's difficult to get into a winning team. If they give me a little and I manage to do a good twenty minutes, I can contribute. That's why I don't want to go," he said.

Hazard acknowledged that his three seasons in Madrid have been a "failure" and referred to the coronavirus and injuries as the main culprits for his poor performance. "Of course I experienced it as a failure. There were a lot of injuries, the Covid. I never got to show what I could do. It was hard to understand why. Then I had to go back to the time of confinement. This is the heart of the problem. I couldn't get back to full fitness and I prolonged that until I had surgery on my right ankle last year," he said.

"In Spain, the confinement was strict. Personally, I lived it very well. But not physically. But I worked alone at home while I came out of a big operation. We couldn't get to the training center. No one came home, neither a physiotherapist nor a trainer physical. I did my rehabilitation on my own. When I came back, I forced myself and hurt myself again, he added.

Therefore, the footballer did not want to blame Real Madrid for his problems. "I'm not going to blame anyone else. It would be too easy. I couldn't have surgery. I accepted the situation and recovered. The 3rd season, I started with a good first sixty minutes under Carlo Ancelotti. Then one or two bad games and I I hurt again. At the end of the season, an ankle infection allowed me to have surgery (in March). Now, I play less but I train all the time, but it's not like I don't have anything either," he said.

In addition, the Belgian made self-criticism about his football level, and fondly recalled the good form he showed during the World Cup in Russia in 2018. "To be honest, I no longer have the level of 2018. I don't show it, but I suffered too much, mentally and physically. I'm not ashamed to say it. In 2018, maybe I was in the top ten in the world. Am I going to go back to that? I don't think so. But if my body allows me, I can still do great things", acknowledged.

"I have less explosiveness but that goes hand in hand with age. Being injured triggers a form of fear. I'm a player who likes to mess around. Few players took the ball from me. I keep the same technique but I lost confidence. If you don't play for three years, even with all the talent in the world, the lack of rhythm is detrimental. In the last two games with the national team (Nations League), I did not miss the opportunity," he said.

About his lifestyle, the Belgian international opened up about his eating habits. "People talk about my lifestyle. Do you think we can play every game for ten years without interruption at the highest level without a healthy lifestyle? When I arrived at Real Madrid I had gained weight. As often in the summers. But after two or three weeks of preparation, I lose it all. Did I take advantage of it too much? Surely", he confirmed.

In addition, the attacker opened up about the titles won in his white stage and acknowledged that he does not feel part of them. "For me, I didn't really win the Champions League. I played games, I entered the round of 16 in Paris. But, like in LaLiga, I didn't feel that I had an impact. Whereas at Chelsea I had always been the best," he said.

When asked about Carlo Ancelotti, the Belgian spoke openly and admitted that he doesn't talk much with him. "With Carlo, I don't talk a lot. Once for five minutes at the beginning of the season. But I never spoke a lot with a coach. I'm not one of those who go to see a coach and tell him that he has to do this or that," he said. .

Hazard also made a special mention to the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, with whom he maintains a good relationship. "I always had a good relationship with him. For him, it's complicated. He sees that I get along well with everyone. The players and the staff love me. I have great respect for him. If he tells me tomorrow that it's difficult, I accept it, I get it," he concluded.