Eden Hazard reveals he returned from holiday with "5 extra kilos" at Real Madrid

Eden Hazard's talent has never been a matter of discussion. What was, and still is, is his fitness, which deprived him of continuity at a Real Madrid side that paid Chelsea €100 million for him. Although the Belgian was already susceptible to injury from the outset, he did not do much to maintain a prodigious physique. This is not a criticism, but a reality that he himself openly acknowledges. The last time, he did so on former Blue team-mate John Obi Mikel's podcast, 'The Obi One Podcast'.

"Every summer, I put on 4 or 5 kilos because I thought I had already given so much for 10 months. You put your body to the maximum level and people kick you, so your free time is your free time. As a Belgian, I love beers because my country has the best beers in the world, so I don't tell you that I used to drink every day because it's not true, but sometimes after a good game, one or two are good," he said.

On what his day-to-day life is like when he is on holiday, he said: "Don't ask me to do anything. I like to be with my family, go to the beach? Don't ask me to run for three or four weeks. I can play football on the beach with my kids, no problem, but don't ask me to run. In his preparations for 19-20, the first stage of his new life in Spain, he realised how demanding this stage of the season is for 'Los Blancos'.

"The first month of the season is the part where I thought it was just the beginning and then from September and October onwards, I was 'flying' because I needed time to get my body and mind in the best shape. So yes, it's true, I came back from the holidays with 5 kilos extra, I knew it. I think I was unlucky at that stage with COVID-19. I went to Dallas for surgery and, when I returned to Madrid, the pandemic was already there. In two months of isolation, alone at home, I made the recovery", he said.

 

February 19, 2024

"If I had to choose to change just one thing, it would have been to ask the doctor to bring in a physio. When we got back on the pitch, I worked hard, but my ankle wasn't the same and I was out for the whole season. The rest, you know the story. I did exercises at home and for me, that was enough. I didn't think I had to do more. After two months, I realised that I should have done more. When I got back on the field, I noticed it," he added.

Looking back on his time at Chelsea, as well as taking the opportunity to underline how difficult it is to compete in the Premier League, he compared Antonio Conte to Jose Mourinho: "Total freedom, I don't know, but some freedom, yes. He knew I was capable of winning games and he asked me to do my job. It's as simple as that. You know that, with Jose, if you don't do your job, he's going to tell you so in front of everyone. He gave me freedom, but not in a crazy way. Sometimes he would say in training 'don't kick Eden' and I would say 'what, why, if nothing is happening?