EDEN HAZARD admits he WAS overweight when he joined Real Madrid.
But the Belgian wasn’t just carrying a few extra pounds after completing an £89million move from Chelsea last summer.
Eden Hazard admits he was 5kg overweight when he joined Real Madrid from ChelseaCredit: EPA
Hazard has revealed he was in fact ELEVEN pounds overweight – just three short of a stone.
But the world-class winger insists he earned the right to celebrate his move after firing Chelsea to Europa League glory over Arsenal in May.
And Hazard claims he lost the excess baggage just ten days after moving to Spain.
However, that has not stopped critics from claiming Hazard is still way off full fitness.
The attacker, 28, has scored just once since moving to the Bernabeu in a deal which could rise to £150m.
Hazard’s new jersey looked very snug the day he was unveiled in Madrid.
And even former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger recently quipped that Hazard’s new-found size was holding him back in the Spanish capital.
But the superstar has now fired back at naysayers, insisting that his weight has always fluctuated throughout his playing career.
And despite gaining – and shedding – five kilos, Hazard believes he is improving every day under the watchful eye of Zinedine Zidane.
Hazard told L’Equipe: “[My weight?] I don’t hide it. When I am on vacation, I am on vacation.
“I am someone who takes weight fast and loses it fast.
“When I was in Lille at 18, I weighed 72 kilos. Afterwards, I gained muscle mass up to 75 kilos.
“On a bad day I weight 77 kilos, but weighed 80 this summer. I lost everything in ten days.”
Hazard went on to admit he had always wanted a move to Real Madrid, and began transfer talks with them THREE years ago.
He added: “I could have signed with them before. It was not frustrating not signing for Real sooner.
“I have always done well. [Talks started] two or three years ago. I wanted to come after the 2018 World Cup but Chelsea said no.
“I did not want to leave Chelsea on bad terms either. I have always been on good terms with my clubs.”
Hazard also revealed he rejected various offers from PSG during his seven years at Chelsea, explaining: “Never [will I join them]. Whenever they have contacted me, I have refused.
“If one day I go back to Ligue 1, It will be to play in Lille. I rejected PSG whenever they wanted to sign me.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk