Eden Hazard finally claps back at ‘OVERWEIGHT’ and ‘FAT’ talks during Real Madrid arrival, says he saw move to Spain as “Last Vacation”

Eden Hazard was called out for his poor fitness throughout Madrid stint!

Eden Hazard finally claps back at ‘OVERWEIGHT’ and ‘FAT’ talks during Real Madrid arrival, says he saw move to Spain as “Last Vacation”

Eden Hazard was released by Real Madrid before the start of the 2023/24 season. (Image via Marca)

Eden Hazard was on top of the world in the summer of 2019. He had won Chelsea the Europa League, secured a dream move to Real Madrid, and was given the iconic number 7 shirt. Unfortunately, it all went wrong for him as he arrived at the club overweight. 

After that, he had the tag of being one of the laziest footballers around, who always had fitness issues and was unavailable for matches regularly. He played only 76 matches for Real Madrid before retiring from the sport at the age of 32. 

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Speaking to L’Equipe, Eden Hazard finally responds to the ‘fat’ and ‘overweight’ shouts at him during Madrid. He admitted he saw the summer before joining Madrid as a vacation and just tried enjoying his time, letting himself loose. He added that the Christmas breaks didn’t help as well.

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With Chelsea I had just finished one of the best seasons of my career. I said to myself: 'Now that I'm at Real Madrid, this is perhaps the last vacation I'll be able to...'. And I let myself go like I let myself go every summer. Seven years in England, without a break at Christmas, giving everything, so that when I have three or four weeks of vacation "don't bother me": barbecues, rosé wine... all that. Then in Madrid things went wrong and that's it.
Eden Hazard on him gaining weight

Moreover, Hazard admitted that at times he went for training while not feeling like it, but claimed he was not lazy. Hazard said at times he showed it in training, not working hard during training at times due to lack of sleep. 

Eden Hazard defends lifestyle when compared to Cristiano Ronaldo 

In the same interview, Eden Hazard claimed he was a better footballer than Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of talent. He claimed only Lionel Messi and Neymar were better in terms of talent, but admitted Ronaldo was a bigger player. Hazard also said he would not be able to handle the training and recovery regime of Ronaldo. 

Cristiano Ronaldo Eden Hazard
Cristiano Ronaldo and Eden Hazard during their Madrid and Chelsea days. (Image via X)
No. That wouldn't have been me. After a match, I wouldn't have spent an hour in a cold bath. Leave me alone, my mates and I go home, play cards and have a beer. I play with my sons in the garden for two hours. That was my recovery. If I'd been like Cristiano - and there are others - I'd have had a burn-out. My body wouldn't have done fifteen years, it would have done three.
Eden Hazard on the lifestyle he preferred

Hazard retired from football on 10th October 2023. He was without a club, being released by Real Madrid in the summer, and decided to claim the “game was not fun anymore”. 

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