Hazard admits he had less pressure at Chelsea than Real Madrid
Eden Hazard has admitted he found ‘less pleasure’ playing under former Chelsea managers Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri but has rediscovered his love for football at Real Madrid.
The Belgian completed a move to the Spanish capital in the summer in a deal which could rise to more than £150million after spending seven years at Stamford Bridge.
His final three seasons were spent under the guidance of Conte and Sarri, two managers known for their tactical discipline and strict training-ground methods.
Hazard has admitted he found playing under the two Italians tough but is now relishing every training session with the Spanish giants.
Speaking in an interview with Sport/Foot Magazine, and reported by AS, Hazard said: ‘Our training (at Real Madrid) is always with the ball, working on movement and patterns.
‘When you meet Italian coaches you have much less pleasure.
‘It is more framed and repetitive. You find pleasure in victory. I spent three years with Italian managers so rediscovering this pleasure does me good.’
Hazard also revealed that a phone call with Real boss Zinedine Zidane during Euro 2016 was the first time he started to dream of a move to the Spanish capital.
He added: ‘I didn’t talk much with him (before joining).
‘The first time was during the 2016 European Championship in France. He called me and said: “It would be good if you came.”
‘When Zidane calls you, it’s serious!’.
The 28-year-old has made just 13 appearances for Real Madrid so far this season due to niggling injury problems.
Eden Hazard admits he had 'much less pleasure' playing for Chelsea than at Real Madrid – Daily Mail https://t.co/1nUPMNReRk
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He has missed the past seven games with a hairline fracture in his foot and is expected to be sidelined until the end of the month.
When asked how he judges his start to life at Real, Hazard replied: ‘The only bad thing is the statistics. People just remember that. The first two months, what I did was not enough.
‘I said to myself: “I can do better”. I really felt better after. I don’t do everything right, but I try. The first two months, I said to myself: “You are new, be simple.”‘