EDEN HAZARD has admitted he piled on the pounds this summer – but insists he dropped the weight in just ten days.
The Belgium superstar, 29, was spotted looking slightly portly when he arrived at Real Madrid following his £115million dream move.
Eden Hazard was carrying a bit of timber when he arrived for pre-seasonCredit: The Mega Agency
The Belgian spoke to AS about his first season in the Spanish capital
Chelsea icon Hazard went on holiday after the summer and the ace revealed that his weight is known to fluctuate when he takes his eye off it.
He told AS: “It is true. I will not hide it. When I am on vacation, I am on vacation.
“I gained five kilos in summer. I am one of those who gain weight quickly and lose it fast if I pay attention.
“When I was 18, in Lille, I weighed 72 (11 st 4lbs) 73 kilos . Then, when I gained muscle mass, I went to 75 – On a bad day, 77.
“This summer I reached 80 kilos (12st, 8lbs). I lost everything in ten days.”
At the end of May, David Luiz and Gonzalo Higuain poked fun at Hazard’s body fat after the Europa League win over Arsenal.
And Hazard was mercilessly teased over his weight after he joined Real, with fans digging him out on social media – particularly when he struggled to make an immediate impact.
Arsene Wenger even called him out, bizarrely comparing him to a horse as he discussed his slow start in Madrid.
The ex-Arsenal boss said: “He is not the type of guy to be [overawed at Madrid] but I don’t know him well enough to assess that.
“I think it (his slow start) was more down to physical reasons. He became too heavy.”
WOOED BY ZIDANE
Hazard was persuaded to join Los Blancos after speaking to his idol Zinedine Zidane in 2016.
The Belgian whiz revealed the Real boss approached him while he was on European Championships duty.
He added: “I didn’t talk much with him. The first time was in the 2016 European Championship in France. He called me.
“He said: ‘It would be good if you came.’ When Zidane calls you, it’s serious!
“Frankly, it does something. He has this power over me. It didn’t leave my head for the whole tournament.”
Eden Hazard does not fit the mould of a ripped footballerCredit: Twitter @realmadrid
Eden Hazard admits that he does not keep up a strict regime on holidayCredit: BackGrid
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
