Roberto Martinez shares his thoughts on Belgium superstar ahead of Euro 2020 clash against Portugal

Roberto Martinez has given his thoughts on Eden Hazard ahead of Belgium's Euro 2020 Round of 16 clash against Portugal.

The Belgian had a torrid 2020-21 club campaign which was marred by injuries and loss of form prior to Euro 2020. Martinez was asked about Hazard's improvement in form while with the national team. He said:

"I saw Hazard enjoying football again when we faced Finland, and that didn’t happen in a very long time. When Eden is happy, we’re a much better team."

The Belgium boss admitted that Hazard's form and injury issues before Euro 2020 were worrying.

"I must admit that I was worried because he wasn’t enjoying life. His body wasn’t reacting the way it had been reacting for the last 15 years and that’s tough. When you’re an injury-prone player you’re used to have that kind of body which might fall apart at any moment, but that’s not Eden. He never had issues with injuries in France and he only missed 20 games over eight seasons in the Premier League, which is one of the most physically-demanding leagues in the entire world."

Martinez also explained how Hazard's situation was weighing upon the Belgian.

"He was very sad and depressed when I saw him last March, and from that moment I think he started working with a clear goal in mind, which is to be happy. I think we got lucky with the timing of his recovery."

Eden Hazard explaining why he is not found the form he had for Chelsea. pic.twitter.com/FW7o4GXiPj
— Frank Khalid (@FrankKhalidUK) June 21, 2021

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Hazard is likely to start for Belgium when they take on Portugal tonight in their Euro 2020 Round of 16 fixture.

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Belgium one of the favorites to win Euro 2020

Belgium has been unstoppable at Euro 2020

Belgium is capable of going all the way at Euro 2020. Their golden generation of stars have shown that they can perform at the highest level.

With players like Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, Belgium are among the favorites to win Euro 2020. The Red Devils had a flawless group stage, scoring seven and conceding only one goal across their three games.

If they manage to get past Portugal tonight, Belgium will take on Italy in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020.