Eden Hazard admits he's been bad at Real Madrid - and asks to be judged after second season
Former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has admitted that he has struggled since his move to Real Madrid, but urged fans to judge him after his second season.
The Belgium international secured a €100 million switch to the Bernabeu last summer after seven years at Stamford Bridge.
However, he has endured a difficult debut campaign in Spain that has been impacted by persistent injury issues, limiting him to just 10 La Liga appearances, in which he’s scored one goal.
"My first season at Madrid is bad, but not everything is bad," the 29-year-old told RTBF (via Goal).
"It is an adaptation season. I will be judged in the second. It is up to me to be in good shape next year.
"The group is good, I have met new people. For me it is a great experience. I still have four years of contract, I hope be in good shape."
Football in Spain has been indefinitely suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, leaving Hazard in a state of lockdown in his Madrid home.
Spain is the second-worst hit country in Europe by the disease, after Italy, and the Belgian offered his perspective on the situation on the ground.
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"I'm not saying I can't catch it, but I'm inside the house, nobody's coming, we can't see anyone," he said.
"I'm a little scared, like everyone else, but I especially have to be careful not to pass it on to others [if I get it], that is the most delicate thing.
"We have to take care of ourselves. I am concerned about weaker people, who have more problems, yes."
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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.