When Eden Hazard arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2019, the expectations were impossible to ignore. Cristiano Ronaldo had left the club one year earlier, leaving behind a historic void both statistically and emotionally, and Hazard was widely viewed as the superstar signing meant to lead Madrid into its next era.
But according to Hazard himself, that narrative never matched reality.
Speaking in an interview with Canal Plus, the former Belgian international explained that he never saw himself
as Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement, insisting that the comparison was created externally rather than internally.
“Succeeding Cristiano at Real Madrid wasn’t a burden because, in my opinion, I wasn’t there to replace him,” Hazard said. “It’s the media who say, ‘he’s going to replace Ronaldo.
“I think I have a completely different style of play than him,” Hazard explained. “I couldn’t score 60 or 70 goals a year. In fact, throughout my entire career, I barely scored that many.”
The Belgian arrived from Chelsea as one of the most technically gifted attackers in world football, but never as a player built around elite goal-scoring production. At Stamford Bridge, Hazard thrived as a creator, ball progressor, and dribbler rather than a volume scorer in the mold of Ronaldo.
That stylistic mismatch, Hazard suggested, made the comparisons unrealistic from the beginning.
“I went there to play like Eden, not to replace Ronaldo,” he said. “But, as often happens, things didn’t go well.”
Hazard’s time at Real Madrid ultimately became one of the most disappointing transfers in club history. Signed for a fee reportedly worth over €100 million, the Belgian struggled through recurring injuries, fitness issues, and inconsistent form throughout his four seasons in Spain.
The interview also revealed an interesting detail from Hazard’s arrival in Madrid involving Luka Modrić’s iconic number 10 shirt.
Hazard admitted he initially hoped to wear the number at Real Madrid, but Modrić refused to give it up.
“I didn’t want number 7,” Hazard said. “I wanted Luka Modrić’s number 10. I thought he was going to say, ‘okay, take it,’ but he didn’t give it to me.”
