EDEN HAZARD has been blasted for admitting to a summer binge before he joined Real Madrid.
The former Chelsea star lit up the Premier League for seven years before earning his £115m move to the Spanish capital in 2019.
Hazard netted 21 goals and registered 17 assists in his final season at Stamford Bridge and felt he deserved a break before his big move to Madrid.
Speaking to L’Equipe. he admitted: “With Chelsea, I’d just finished one of the best seasons of my career.
“I said to myself, ‘now that I’m at Real Madrid, this is perhaps the last vacation I’ll be able to take.’ I let go of myself like I let go of myself every summer.
“Seven years in England, without a break at Christmas, giving everything, so when I have three or four weeks of vacation, don’t bother me, barbecues, rose wine and all that.
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“That’s what allowed me to reset myself to start again. Then, at Real, it went wrong and that’s it.”
Following his binge Hazard arrived at the Bernabeu ELEVEN pounds overweight and was unable to hit the heights he managed in England.
And former World Cup-winning Frenchman Christophe Dugarry has taken aim at the Belgian for his approach to his mega move to Madrid.
Speaking to RMC Sport, he said: “It’s very easy to say this now but it should have been said before.
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“It’s when you sign your multi-million contract that you should tell the president that you’re going out that evening.
“Did he say to his manager and team-mates that he was getting drunk and that he didn’t like running in training? Football is a professional and team sport. You have obligations.”
He went on to add: “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.
“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 [Zinedine] Zidane this before being signed by Real Madrid for £100m.”
Hazard ended up leaving Real Madrid last year on the expiration of his deal, having made just 76 appearances and scored seven goals in his four years with the club.
The 33-year-old has now retired from football after being without a club until October.
Hazard was often criticised during is spell in the Spanish capital for being “lazy” and overweight.
But the former Belgium international explained in his interview that he wasn’t being as unhealthy as people were suggesting.
He explained: “I wasn’t watching what I ate but I didn’t go for a burger every day either. You can’t do that for 16 years. I didn’t think it was important.
“I’m a hedonist, I like to eat and drink with my friends. Dieting is bull***t, it doesn’t work.
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“If you want to play until you’re 40, then okay, but I knew I wouldn’t be like that. I always have some champagne in my fridge.”
Since retiring Hazard has focused on life away from the pitch including re-uniting with the ball-boy that he once kicked back in 2013.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
