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3 ways Eden Hazard makes Real Madrid significantly better

By Kevin Parvizi

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 10: Eden Hazard of Chelsea celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on March 10, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 10: Eden Hazard of Chelsea celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on March 10, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images) /
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Real Madrid have officially purchased Eden Hazard from Chelsea, giving them a man who is arguably one of the top five players in world football.

Eden Hazard has been linked to Real Madrid for months, and The Guardian reported earlier this week that Chelsea accepted a 100 million euro fee for the Belgian winger. Add-ons, per The Mirror, could make the deal worth a fee approaching 150 million euros. It’s a significant chunk of change, but Hazard is worth every penny, making this a win-win deal for both top clubs.

Real Madrid made the blockbuster signing official on Friday evening, ending the transfer saga surrounding one of the world’s most exciting footballers. Hazard has been a model of consistency for Chelsea for years, going out with a bang in the Europa League by putting on a master class against rivals Arsenal in a 4-1 finals victory.

As Chelsea contemplate replacing Hazard beyond the major signing of American Christian Pulisic from Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund, it’s time to look at three ways Hazard makes Real considerably better heading into 2019-20. Real came in just third in La Liga last season and fumbled away their Champions League campaign after previously being the most successful team in the competition. Now that Zinedine Zidane is back in charge, Real’s aim is clear: win the Champions League again.

Hazard was at the top of Real’s list, and he is the best possible player to help Los Blancos get to that level of brilliance in European competition. Here’s why.

Creating loads of chances

There are a myriad of troubling statistics relating to Real Madrid, but perhaps nothing is more unsettling than their lack of chance-creators in 2018-2019. Only striker Karim Benzema and aging veteran Luka Modric had at least five assists for Real in La Liga, and literally nobody had more than two assists in the Champions League.

Meanwhile, Hazard led everyone in Europe’s top five leagues with a whopping 15 assists despite mostly playing with a makeshift attack around him. For years, Hazard has carried Chelsea to glory, but his heroics were never more necessary than this season. Hazard, per WhoScored.com, was also second in the Premier League in key passes per game (2.6), whereas only Toni Kroos (2.3) could rival Hazard on Real in that department.

Real purchased Luka Jovic to help Benzema up front, and he’ll be an important source of goals after tearing up the Bundesliga with 17 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt in 2018-19. However, Real desperately needed someone who can help set up chances for both Benzema and Jovic. Hazard, judging by last season’s stats, might just be the best player in the world at this – or, at least, the best player Real could have purchased.

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