Hazard is the surprise

Eden Hazard smiles again. He does it in training since his return to the ring on Tuesday postderbithe first time he appeared on the pitch at Valdebebas along with the rest of his teammates, and it does it internally. When the Belgian decided that the best thing for his future was to remove the titanium plate that he had inserted in his fibula, on March 29, his objective was clear: arrive on time to enjoy minutes before the course closed. And do it, moreover, without physical or mental torment. Something that, as AS has learned, has achieved. It aspires to be the surprise of the final stretch. Ancelotti himself confirmed it in the press conference prior to the clash against Cádiz: “Hazard’s plan is clear: he stays”.

Both the player and his entourage are delighted with the result of the last step in the operating room. Hazard doesn’t feel any pain and he is very excited ahead of the two league games that Madrid have ahead of them. Entering the call against Levante, with just two days training like one more after six weeks of recovery, would have been hasty. However, for this Sunday against Cadiz (7:30 p.m.) yes it will be. He hopes not only to return to the list, but have a minute to certify your return. While he expects to increase playing time on the final day, which would mean his return to the Bernabéu, against Betis (Sunday 22). Definitely, be one more weapon for Ancelotti and convince the coach that, if he needs alternatives, he can count on him in the Champions League final against Liverpool.

The version of Hazard that has been seen in Madrid is far from that brilliant player who fell in love at Chelsea. The one that came in exchange for 100 million euros in the summer of 2019 fulfilling his childhood dream. As he began to take flight, he arrived the fateful entrance of his compatriot Thomas Meunier. It was November 2019 and the ordeal ended in operation the following March. Eden was placed in the hands of Doctor Eugene Curry and reappeared with a new titanium plate (one was already placed in 2017 in his first surgery) in the right fibula, the one he recently said goodbye to. Injuries have weighed him down ever since. 37 games have been lost due to one or another ailment between 2020-21 and the current year, up to the 11 that he has accumulated in the last month and a half. 48 games in total out in two seasons.

Belgium, oasis and trampoline

Both mishaps, together with the feeling of not being truly recovered from the ankle problem, made the extreme not reach 100%. Not physical, but also emotional. The one that now longs to recover. On time to reach a goal dated next November: do something important in the World Cup in Qatar. Belgium has always been her oasis in a desert of white sand. And now he trusts that it will be his springboard to a next season without bumps in the road. “His situation will be reconsidered when the new season starts. Only then will it become important to see where he stands.”said Roberto Martínez days before Eden underwent surgery, referring to his star.

Words that left the international future of the captain of the Belgian Red Devils in question. Nothing could be further from the truth. And it is that, as this newspaper has learned, Hazard will be part of the next call for Bob Martínez ahead of the upcoming Nations League matches. Belgium plays against the Netherlands (June 3), Poland twice (June 8 and 14) and Wales (June 11), four games that will mark the Belgian future in the competition and in which Hazard is counted on. will be a golden opportunity to show that the torment is part of the past.

It may be important at a crucial moment for him. Not only with his selection, but to hit the table before Mbappé lands as the new Galactic. Without forgetting that Vinicius has earned to start from the same box in Madrid as the still PSG star. What’s more, Ancelotti, in addition to confirming that the plan is to have him next season, predicts minutes for him: “In a squad like Madrid’s there are many games. Everyone can have opportunities. Being a starter in a great team is complicated, but I always say that the quantity is not important, but the quality of the minutes. The example is Rodrygo, who hasn’t played that much, but has been decisive and his minutes have been of quality.”. Osasco’s as a mirror in which Eden must look at herself.

His obsession is the World Cup and to get in shape he must leave behind the state of Guadian form that has accompanied him. his numbers, 6 goals and 10 assists in three seasons, they have placed him in the difficult position he is in. His contract is until 2024 and earns 15 million euros net, the best paid along with Bale. However, in the club there is no doubt about his commitment and, unlike the Welshman, he has come out stronger from his last public appearances, in addition to the words of Carletto. He has been one more in the celebrations despite having played a peripheral role in the achievement of League 35. Nor is there any doubt about his talent. At the top, he has always been at the elite table since he first sat on it. The physical ups and downs made him lose his seat. Her role, from the beginning, will be different, but there is optimism. Hazard wants to be Hazard again.