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Transfer rumours are a natural part of modern day football and quite a lot of the time, there’s nothing to them – they’re media-driven stories designed to draw clicks or sell papers. Some stories simply won’t go away, though – and one of those in 2018/19 has been the suggestion that Real Madrid will look to break the bank for Chelsea’s Eden Hazard this summer.
Could it be true? Sure. Real are certainly looking at a rebuilding process under new (old) boss Zinedine Zidane, and of course they’re more than willing to splash the cash. But should Hazard make the move to the Bernabeu?
I think he should, and here are 4 reasons why.
#1 He’s done all he can at Chelsea – and in England too
Okay, so Hazard hasn’t won the Champions League at Chelsea yet, but with the Blues currently languishing in 6th place in the Premier League, it simply doesn’t look like the Belgian star will get the chance at doing so any time soon. But apart from that, what else does he have to prove at Stamford Bridge? The answer is largely nothing.
2018/19 is Hazard’s 7th season at Chelsea and during that time, he’s won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one EFL Cup and the Europa League too. Individual honours? He was voted Chelsea’s Player of the Year on 3 occasions, has won the Premier League Player of the Year award, and he’s been named in 4 PFA Premier League Teams of the Year.
His goalscoring record is phenomenal for an attacking midfielder – 105 goals in 339 appearances – and he regularly makes tons of assists, too.
Basically, the Belgian has been Chelsea’s best player for almost the entire time he’s been at the club. And over the past couple of seasons, there’s a fair argument to make that he’s been the Premier League’s most outstanding player too, even in the seasons that his club have struggled to make a mark.
Hazard could continue to have more success at Chelsea, that is true – but at what point does it all become a little dull for a player of his calibre? Surely it’s time for a new challenge for the Belgian – and where better to take that new challenge than to Real Madrid?
#2 It’s the perfect time to join Real
Real Madrid remain arguably the world’s biggest club, but right now they’re not looking so hot. Eliminated from the UEFA Champions League in a huge upset by Ajax, Los Blancos also sit in 3rd place in the current La Liga table, miles off the pace set by Barcelona at the top. They’re currently 12 points adrift and given they’ve already lost 8 games, the chances of them overhauling their rivals seem massively unlikely.
More to the point, they’ve changed manager three times this season alone – from Julen Lopetegui to Santiago Solari and now to Zinedine Zidane, and it’s quite clear that their squad is at a crossroads right now.
They have some young talent – Isco and Vinicius Junior come to mind – but the big names, the likes of Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are not getting any younger.
That’s why now would be the perfect time for someone like Hazard to make the move to the Bernabeu.
Cristiano Ronaldo is already long gone and there’s likely to be a cull of some more big stars in the summer. Real are primed for a new hero to arise and who better than Hazard, who is in the prime of his career at 28 and would represent the kind of statement signing that Ronaldo did a decade ago?
Essentially, Hazard can’t lose with this move – he’s clearly good enough to be a huge hit at Real, their fans are ready to embrace a new superstar, and let’s be honest, any kind of success there will be considered better than what’s happened in 2018/19.
#3 Chelsea could be about to hit some hard times
It’s no secret that Chelsea have been inconsistent this season under Maurizio Sarri, but even if the Italian manager finally steadies the ship and begins to mould the side into his image, he could be about to run into another tsunami next season as the club’s transfer ban – assuming it’s held up by FIFA – will kick in during the summer’s transfer window.
That means that not only will loanees Mateo Kovacic and Gonzalo Higuain likely return to their parent clubs, but Sarri also won’t be able to bring aboard any new talent – outside of Christian Pulisic, who has already signed with the club.
And while Chelsea do have plenty of talent stockpiled to make this issue a little less painful, it might be the case that Hazard simply isn’t willing to carry the club through what could well be a tough period.
A team full of youngsters like Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ethan Ampadu and Tammy Abraham would definitely be an intriguing prospect, but for Hazard – who is used to playing alongside proven world-class internationals – it may not be enough, particularly if he’s got the Ballon d’Or in his sights in the near future.
Even hardcore Chelsea fans would probably be able to see the justification for a Hazard move under these circumstances.
#4 It could give him a better shot at the Ballon d’Or
While individual awards clearly aren’t as important as helping a team to win silverware, there’s no denying that the Ballon d’Or is a pretty prestigious achievement that any top footballer would love to get their hands on.
And the fact is that – unfortunately for huge fans of the Premier League – history suggests that Hazard would have a better chance of receiving the award with a move to Real Madrid.
Why is that? Well, it obviously has a lot to do with the success of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but the fact is that players from La Liga – Real Madrid and Barcelona, basically – have bossed the Ballon d’Or since the turn of the century.
Of the 11 winners since 2000, 5 of them have played for Real Madrid – Luis Figo, Ronaldo, Fabio Cannavaro, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric.
The Premier League, meanwhile, has produced just 2 Ballon d’Or winners in the same time period – Michael Owen and Cristiano Ronaldo. In fact, England’s top league doesn’t seem to be valued well in Ballon d’Or voting at all – only 6 Premier League players have ever been named in the top 3 since the turn of the century.
Whether that’s fair or not is a moot point – basically, if Hazard has his eyes on the ultimate individual prize, then a move to Real Madrid is far more likely to placate that than if he stays at Chelsea – particularly with Ronaldo and Messi getting no younger.
