Eden Hazard’s retirement has allowed him to start opening up and telling stories that we already knew must be true.
The Chelsea winger was notorious for not putting in much work in training, and unsurprisingly he was even more lax when on holiday. In an interview with France Football recently looking back at his career, Hazard admitted that he liked to make the most of his time off:
“Barbecues, rosé, everything. And that’s what allowed me to reset and start again,” he said in quotes picked up by Get French Football News.
“I’m a bon vivant, I like to eat, and with friends, we have a drink… people tell me to be careful.”
Chelsea fans didn’t mind – he would come back after the summer with a bit of a belly but would still play like a genius. But some in the game insist that he wasted his career and his potential. Former French ace Christoph Dugarry responded very badly to these comments:
“It’s very easy to say this now but it should have been said before. It’s when you sign your multi-million contract that you should tell the president that you’re going out that evening,” he told RMC Sport.
“Did he say to his manager and teammates that he was getting drunk and that he didn’t like running in training? Football is a professional and team sport. You have obligations.
“You can’t respect everything to the letter but to promote this nonsense is a shame. Hazard was a great player but it’s a shame for the supporters who paid to see him play when he was drunk the day before.
“His interview is making fun of the world of football. If you want to act like a courageous guy, you have to say it before. Why didn’t he tell Zidane this before being signed by Real Madrid for €100m.”
It seems mad to blame Hazard for costing €100m. If Real Madrid weren’t aware of the kind of character they were spending that sort of money on, that’s entirely on them. He wasn’t exactly hiding it.
