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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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Eden Hazard of Chelsea in action during the UEFA Europa League Final between Chelsea and Arsenal at Baku Olimpiya Stadionu on May 29, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Eden Hazard of Chelsea in action during the UEFA Europa League Final between Chelsea and Arsenal at Baku Olimpiya Stadionu on May 29, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images) /

Hazard has the skills to create from nothing

It only took a matter of hours for Real Madrid to release their first skills highlight clip hyping up Eden Hazard, which can be viewed on Twitter here. Their zeal in uploading this video is unsurprising, because a huge part of Hazard’s game is the mesmerizing dribbling ability that rivals Barcelona star Lionel Messi.

Taking the ball off of Hazard seems like an impossible task for defenders. His low center of gravity, remarkable close-control, and genius touches allow him to carve up defenses, drawing out multiple defenders to the wings before creating the space for a pass that unlocks the opposition. Hazard’s skills are a huge reason why he racks up so many assists.

The Belgian superstar is one of those players who can create chances from out of nowhere, and when he has a chance to shoot, it’s likely that he’ll finish with aplomb. Hazard scored 16 goals in 32 Premier League appearances last season to go with his astounding 15 assists, and he had 28 goals in all competitions. That is a remarkable record for a pass-first winger who is among the world’s most unselfish players with the ball at his feet.

Perhaps no moment from last season exemplifies Hazard’s individual quality better than his solo goal in April against West Ham. Like a magician, Hazard stymied the opposition defense with his quick feet before expertly placing the ball past the keeper, turning an impossible situation into an all-time great goal. Real Madrid love purchasing superstars capable of dazzling the crowd, and Hazard’s knack for special goals will be a nice benefit.

Hazard’s skills will crucially help Real when it comes to beating the world’s best defenses. Even opponents parking the bus can find it difficult to contain Hazard, who blisters by multiple defenders with his moves. He frustrates them, too. On top of being fifth in Europe in successful dribbles per game, he was among the top 10 in fouls drawn per game. Fouls can turn tight situations into set pieces, and players like Sergio Ramos and Jovic can score off of these chances. In this way, Hazard’s skills can also directly translate into opportunities for Real.

However, Hazard’s ability to score goals on his own as a result of his individual quality will help most crucially. Those 16 goals from a winger are nothing to sneeze at, and Hazard consistently scored double-digit goals in a season at Chelsea. That type of production is necessary at Real, where only Benzema, who scored 21 goals, beat the 10-goal mark last season.

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