Why it’s a case of when, not if he’ll join Madrid one day 

Right now Real Madrid are linked with Chelsea forward/winger Eden Hazard. Through strong media outlets it seems Madrid are keen on the Belgian and manager Zinedine Zidane really wants him. When a player gets linked to Real Madrid it’s hard for any player to turn them down. Hazard is having a phenomenal season for Chelsea but now they face a huge challenge to persuade him not to leave but judging by past experience it’ll be hard for them to do that. In this I’ll give five reasons why Hazard will eventually wear the white shirt of Real Madrid one day.

1. The lure of Madrid: 

When it comes to players and Real Madrid the one thing that they all have in common is the lure of the white shirt. Real Madrid are one of the greatest clubs of all time and are a team every young kid dreams of playing for. There is a special draw that Madrid possess to any world class player. For Hazard he might not be tempted right now but down the line he will be when people mention to him the icons of the game that have worn the shirt in the past. The only way you can describe the draw Real Madrid have is like describing how a dog is drawn to a ball when you hold it above it’s head. Hazard might feel like he gets less recognition at Chelsea because they aren’t one of the true big teams amongst the elite this means he gets less talk apart from England or Belgium. The saying in sport goes ”you only get one career and it can be short” in terms of that he could think that he’ll only get once chance to play for a team with the history and prestige of Real Madrid. Whether it be this year or after next season Hazard will eventually succumb to the temptation of Madrid and will wear a Real Madrid shirt one day.

2. To Win the Champions League: 

Another reason why Eden Hazard will go to Real Madrid is to win the Champions League. Despite the fact that Chelsea will be in the competition next season there are no guarantees that they’ll get to the semi’s or even the final. With Real Madrid you can almost guarantee that they’ll be in the latter stages of the Champions League which again is enough to tempt Hazard away. For Hazard he will have grown up watching the competition and seeing great players and teams winning it. A player of his skill and flair will want that medal around him and with a team like Real Madrid he can be closer to doing that. Hazard will also want to socre in the final and cement his status as a big time player and have a defining memory and more fans will remember something you do for Real Madrid rather than Chelsea which is another reason he’ll end up in Madrid one day. Another example Hazard can look at is another player is his position Gareth Bale. Bale plays in a similar position to Hazard but didn’t have a global recognition until he went to Madrid and now everyone knows who he is and he has won nearly everything. Despite the fact he’ll win the Premier League for a second time with Chelsea Hazard will want that Champions League medal a lot more and he’ll see Bale as an example of going to Madrid and achieving his ultimate dream of Champions League immortality.

3. Zidane: 

This bit might be the most interesting and biggest reason why Hazard will end up at Real Madrid. Hazard was born in 1991 and throughout his childhood he’ll have been growing up watching Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane wow football fans with his own skill and flair. For Hazard you can imagine Zidane was one of his footballing heroes as a child and now a fully fledged player himself the chance to play under one of the greats of the game might be a challenge to hard to turn down for him. Hazard is a player of exceptional quality and Zidane will be in Real President Florentino Perez’s ear to tell him to pursue this and get the deal done. Another key factor in this is that Zidane was a world class player during his career and Hazard might think that to get better and be even more world class working with someone he admires like Zidane might help him become an elite level player of his generation. If Hazard joins Madrid then one of the main reasons will be to link up with a player that he admires hugely and will want to get better under.

4. Worldwide Recognition: 

This could be one of the factors that might not get mentioned but I thought I’d mention it. Another huge reason why Hazard will end up at Real Madrid will be the worldwide recognition that comes with it. Chelsea are a big club in Europe and England but Madrid have triple the recognition worldwide and if you play for them you are a star all round the world. People think with the Premier league being the worldwide phenomenon it is that every team is known and every player is a star. But when you see these clubs go on tour you never see Chelsea get the huge fanfare that you see when Manchester United and Liverpool will bring when they are on tour. Chelsea have never struck me as a team with a massive global appeal like United, Madrid or Barcelona. Maybe Hazard doesn’t feel like he gets bigger talk about himself because he doesn’t play for an elite club. That could be a big factor In him going to Madrid to achieve global superstardom he craves. What I mean by this is that when you play for a team like Real Madrid you are instantly recognised and more people talk about and watch you if you. So if more people do this you are more marketable across the world and more known to football fans worldwide.

5. Style of play\Ballon D’or 

When you watch the Premir League one thing it’s noted for is it’s fast style of football and Wild West action. It’s definitely helped Hazard’s game whilst he’s been here but with Real Madrid and the Spanish style of play that could suit a player of Hazard’s skill really well. Spain tends to edge towards a technical side of the game and better passing which is perhaps one of the reasons they are admired and respected. For Hazard less fast paced games would help him when to press forward and there is less on attacking players to track back like in England. If Hazard joins Madrid then he’ll have more possession with the ball and make more opportunities and play less of and counter attack system. If in a Madrid team Hazard would most likely play between a supposed three man formation with Ronaldo up top and Bale on the other flank. Another reason Hazard will be in Real Madrid will be his desire to win the player of the year award (Ballon D’or). A lot of players in the last twenty years have won the award whilst either playing for Madrid or have played for them like Ronaldo (Brazilian one), Figo, Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo. That might be another catalyst for Hazard to go to Madrid at some point to be amongst those elite players. A damming stat that could make him go to Madrid is that not a lot of England based players have won this award in the last twenty years and Spain has somewhat dominated as well as Italy. Hazard might think that to win this award he’ll have to be at a club like Madrid, which would be unfortunate for the Premier League but for Hazard he’ll care less.

Verdict: These are the main reasons I think Hazard will be a Real Madrid player at some point. It might not be this year but he’ll go there eventually because Real Madrid and Perez always get what they want.

Extra reason; To play with Ronaldo, money, fans, legacy.