Eden Hazard is everything Real Madrid need

Out of all the players linked to Real Madrid, Eden Hazard stands out as the man who could make the biggest difference.

In winning four Champions League titles in five years, Real Madrid made it clear that they’ve returned to setting the standard in Europe. Though Barcelona remained the cream of the crop domestically in Spain, it was Real who hoarded silverware abroad, with a certain forward racking up the goals for Los Blancos.

This season, however, Real faltered. Not only did they finish third in the league behind rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, but they were also knocked out in Europe by Cinderella team Ajax. Thoroughly outclassed by the Dutch side in the second leg, Real were exposed defensively, and their anemic attack looked even worse in comparison to Ajax’s fluid, exciting brand of soccer.

Real are expected to open up their pocketbooks in unprecedented fashion, and the links to Eden Hazard have become stronger than ever before. Hazard, who has set the standard in terms of individual quality in the Premier League over the past handful of years, is no stranger to transfer rumors. But after carrying Chelsea to a third-place finish under manager Maurizio Sarri, Hazard may be ready to become a new team’s best player.

Already, Hazard and fellow Premier League superstar Mohamed Salah have been closely linked to a transfer to Madrid, and it would be no surprise if the legendary Zinedine Zidane were high on both PFA Player of the Year candidates.

Kylian Mbappe and Neymar rumors have even surfaced, and Real Madrid are already reportedly nearing a deal for Eintracht Frankfurt’s lethal 21-year-old striker Luka Jovic.

If the Jovic signing is legit, then that makes Hazard stand out even more as the most important transfer target for Madrid. Though Real had a solid goalscorer in Karim Benzema last season, it isn’t necessarily a good thing that he was regarded as the team’s best attacking player with 21 goals. Worse yet, Real didn’t have another player with at least 10 goals. And even worse than that, Benzema tied with Luka Modric as the team’s leader with just six assists in La Liga.

Real Madrid desperately need an attacking player who can carry the load. They need someone who can consistently take defenders on, create chances for his teammates and chip in goals. They need someone consistent, unselfish and proven.

Hazard checks off all the boxes like nobody else. In Jovic, Real could have a dynamic striker and a clinical finisher to displace Benzema. In Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio, Real have two more attackers who could be future top-10 stars globally.

But Hazard is already a sure-fire top-10 player and has operated at that level for so long. The fact he’s stood out even more at Belgium is another indication that he was never quite surrounded with enough talent at Chelsea, especially since Sarri failed to get both he and youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi on the pitch frequently enough.

At Real, Hazard could unlock Vinicius and Asensio, and a partnership with either Benzema or Jovic would be far superior to the tandems Hazard had with Gonzalo Higuain, Michy Batshuayi, Alvaro Morata or Olivier Giroud since Diego Costa’s departure from London.

Statistically, Hazard, who is a pass-first player, would have been second on Real in goals with 16 and first with 15 assists — no other player in Europe had more assists than the Belgian winger. He would have also led Real in key passes (10th in Europe), dribbles completed (fifth), and fouls drawn (eighth). (All stats courtesy of WhoScored.com.)

By every metric of attacking play, Hazard was far superior to the players on Madrid last season. More importantly, he fills this team’s primary need, especially if Jovic signs to join a healthy Vinicius Junior; he would give Real a player who can create chances from nothing.

With his low center of gravity and deft close-control, Hazard is nearly impossible to dispossess. The man draws fouls like soccer’s James Harden, and he’s just as forward-thinking as the Houston Rockets star. No gameplan can contain Hazard, who has the full bag of tricks. Liable to send a curler into the corner, dribble through an entire defense on a solo run or send in a sizzling low cross, Hazard has the full palate of attacking weaponry at his disposal and would be the game-changer Real missed last season.

Furthermore, Hazard has so little bust potential. At 28, the Chelsea man is in the prime of his career. He’s never had fewer than 12 goals in a league campaign since 2012, and he’s coming off by far his most productive season to date with 31 combined goals and assists.

If the smoke between Real and Hazard is billowing, it’s because the fit between player and team couldn’t be better. Madrid sorely need Hazard, and in Spain’s capital, Hazard could begin to create a legacy as one of the best of his generation as he enters the most important years of his career.