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Eden Hazard reflects on lack of playing time & his future at Real Madrid.
Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard has claimed he still sees himself playing for the team the next season despite receiving virtually no playing time thus far in 2022–23.
The deal Hazard signed when he transferred from Chelsea for $100 million in 2019 has one more year left on it. In La Liga, he has played just 98 minutes total this year, and none at all since September.
The 32-year-old has dealt with injuries all of his time at Real Madrid; but, manager Carlo Ancelotti has taken a far different approach this year, as a fully healthy Hazard has spent the majority of games on the bench as an unused substitute.
“I want to play. I want to have fun on the field,” Hazard told RTBF.
“Training is good but what keeps us alive are the matches. I hope deep inside me that I can bring something and that the coach is still counting on me, I hope. We’ll see if I’m still going to play by the end of the season. I doubt a little. It’s up to me to show him in training that he can call on me.”
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The Belgian continued by acknowledging that, in Ancelotti’s opinion, he “probably deserves less [playing times] than others,” given that Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Federico Valverde, Marco Asensio, and even Mariano Diaz are ahead of Hazard in the Real Madrid pecking order.
Even so, Hazard has little intention of continuing his career elsewhere
“I would like to stay. I have always said it,” he explained. “To hope to play on the pitch to prove that I can still play football. People have doubts, it’s normal. I understand very well. But for me, I’m still here next year. A transfer is not in order of the day. But you never know.
“I don’t know [what could change my mind]. The only thing I think about is playing. That’s why I don’t even think about leaving. Deep down inside, I think I can bring something. I feel it, that’s all. People, if I bring a little, they’ll trust me again. They might say to themselves that they made a mistake leaving me out. I just need minutes in the legs.”