Eden Hazard reckons Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema has the Ballon d'Or '99%' sewn up after stunning season
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Published 01/06/2022 at 15:44 GMT
Eden Hazard says it is up to him to show he is not finished in a Real Madrid shirt and is optimistic about going next season injury-free. The Belgium winger has lurched from one disaster to the next in the Spanish capital, with physical setbacks dogging him in his three years at the club. But he says he has never wanted to leave and thinks "beautiful things" are on the way.
UCL win sparks wild scenes in Madrid
Eden Hazard believes Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema has the Ballon d'Or 2022 award all but sewn up after book-ending a stunning campaign with the Champions League trophy.
Benzema scored 44 goals for Los Blancos this term - including a prolific 15 in 12 Europe - helping his team to lift a treble of La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup and the Champions League.
And Hazard thinks that makes his fellow forward unique in terms of his achievements.
Speaking ahead of Belgium's Nations League ties with Netherlands and Poland on June 3 and June 8 respectively - for which he has been recalled to the squad - Hazard said: "I think there is no other player like Karim.
"Benzema has won 99 per cent of the Ballon d'Or.
"Then with the votes you never know what will happen, but I think it will go to Karim and I hope so because he deserves it."
Hazard completed 90 minutes just once for Madrid this season as injuries - as they have done throughout his stay in the Spanish capital - struck him down once more.
But now fit again, he has a sunnier outlook on next season.
He said: "All the conditions are in place for me to play my football. I don't have any more problems with my ankle or anything else.
"Everything is in order. I will have a good physical and mental preparation to be ready for next year.
"It's up to me to show that I'm not finished, that I still have beautiful things to do.
"I know that if I can get back to my best, I can give them [Madrid] everything. All I need is to play, to have minutes which I hope to have next year.
"Then we will see the real player again, the real Eden Hazard, I have no doubts about that.
"I've never wanted to leave because I know I can contribute things that I haven't been able to yet, and the club know that. I've been telling them for a year and a half that I have pain in my ankle.
"The best-case scenario is to have very good preparation, play - because I haven't played much for a long time - play well, help out on the pitch in every game, score goals, go to the World Cup in Qatar and have a good World Cup, like the one we had in Russia.
"To have a super year, a full year without physical problems, without anything, to string it together and enjoy it, like I've always done."
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement