Real Madrid's most extravagant signings are evaluated, among other things, on their performance in Clasicos. The fact that Eden Hazard didn't play in any of Spain's four seasons will always be astounding.
Since his 2019 arrival, he has held the position of the club's highest earner, bringing home an estimated £400,000 per week to fill Cristiano Ronaldo's shoes.
Hazard had just finished a season in which he had scored 21 goals for Chelsea, helping them to victory in the Europa League, so no one questioned the signing at the time.
However, things started to go awry after the first week when, as he would later admit, he showed there in less than ideal condition.
He had the idea that by participating in sports, he would get fit. However, at Real Madrid, where fitness requirements are high, this way of thinking is ineffective.
Some of the people who have played with him claim that he never really possessed the type of personality that he needed.
'Eden's the greatest I've played with,' said his former teammate from Chelsea, Filipe Luis, to Mail Sport. He can win games by himself just as well as Lionel Messi. He didn't train properly, didn't run much to defend, and five minutes before games, he would be playing Mario Kart in the locker room.
Laces untied, he warmed up and practiced. But when he went outside, nobody could take the ball away from him. He'd make three or four dribbles. He was so powerful that if opponents approached too closely, he would simply withdraw.
The combination of considerable strength, a weak sensation of gravity, and a rapid acceleration over short distances left
His unquestionable brilliance began to show in his first season after he lost the five kilograms of excess baggage he had brought with him, but in a crucial Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain that November, a kick from his international teammate Thomas Meunier sent him back to square one.
Only 14 starts were made in that first season due to the incurred ankle injury, which kept him out until the end of January the following year.
He kept the Madrid fans on his side for a very long period. They weren't paying much attention to him because they were too busy jeering Gareth Bale, but there was a sense that he will eventually regain his former Chelsea form.
However, he only had seven league starts over the course of the following two seasons, and no improvement was seen.
When he was photographed laughing with Kurt Zouma after Chelsea eliminated Real Madrid from the Champions League in 2021, he started to fall out of favor, and many others joined the attack.
Did he believe that getting the top salary at Real Madrid without ever playing was a joke? They questioned.
In a tweet at the time, he expressed regret: "I have read many opinions about me, and it was not my intention to offend Real Madrid supporters." I came here to win things since playing for the club has always been a goal of mine. But the public's perception has changed.
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