Eden Hazard eager to 'prove his worth' at Real Madrid
Eden Hazard admits his two years at Real Madrid have 'not been good', but insists he's working hard to 'prove his worth' to the club and supporters around the world.
The 30-year-old completed a move to Real worth €100m in 2019, leaving Chelsea after helping the English club secure victory in the Europa League with a comprehensive 4-1 win over Arsenal.
But having established himself as a Blues legend after a trophy laden seven-year spell in west London, Hazard's stint in Madrid has thus far been an unmitigated disaster.
Countless injuries have sidelined the Belgian ever since he arrived in the Spanish capital, restricting him to just 43 appearances in all competitions. Indeed, Hazard has only scored five goals for Real - four of those in La Liga - and he's been labelled in the media as one of the worst signings of modern times, in terms of value for money at least.
However, speaking while on international duty with Belgium, Hazard, is still optimistic that he can put his woes behind him, and says that he wants to pay Real Madrid back over the course of his remaining contract for the massive investment they made in him.
"I signed with Real Madrid for five seasons. The first two have not been good, the injuries have not helped me, but I still have three more to prove my worth," he told HLN.
"I hope it works, I hope to get up one morning and feel great on the training ground. If I feel pain there, I drag it to the games and I will continue to have it. I am waiting for that moment when I can show my worth again.
"Real Madrid have already spent a lot of money on me. I want to give something back to them."
Hazard also hit back at those who say he's always injured, noting the number of games he was able to play for Lille, Chelsea and Belgium over the past decade. He says he's working hard with Real Madrid's trainers and physios, doing whatever it takes to remain fit, healthy and available to play.
"People think that I am always injured. That is the truth. But if you review my career there is not a player who, for a period of 10 years, has played as many games as I have," he added.
"I do what I have to do. I work daily with the physio. That's what I do. Since the beginning of the season we have done a great job with the physical trainer. At the moment it is going well, I am feeling better, but I am not completely 100% still. I hope we continue like this."