Eden Hazard has revealed that he jokingly asked for the number ten shirt off Luka Modric upon his arrival at Real Madrid - though his request was eventually denied by the Croatian midfielder.
The former Chelsea man was officially unveiled at Real Madrid on Thursday evening, where he was paraded out in front of some 50,000 supporters shortly after completing a medical at
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/cFLms4myGA
— Eden Hazard (@hazardeden10) June 13, 2019
Hazard was provided with a blank Real Madrid shirt for the presentation having not yet been handed a squad number, but he has revealed that he is very unlikely to be wearing the number ten shirt - which he wore for the majority of his time with Chelsea - any time soon.
Speaking after his arrival at the Bernabeu, Hazard said, as per the Evening Standard:
Welcome to your new home, @hazardeden10!#WelcomeHazard | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/6IXVvOGkF5
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) June 13, 2019
"I was joking when I asked him to lend me the number 10. He said no, so I’ll have to find another number.
"But right now, the number is not important for me, I just [want] to play with this badge."
Hazard is just one of a number of high-profile signings made by Real already this summer, as he joins Eder Militao, Rodrygo, Luka Jovic and Ferland Mendy at the club.
The #RMFans ask for @hazardeden10 to kiss the badge... AND HE DOES! #WelcomeHazard | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/3ioqxJvTSm
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) June 13, 2019
Real don't appear to have concluded their business in the transfer window just yet as Manchester United's Paul Pogba appears to be the next player in their sights - if recent reports from France prove to be accurate, that is.