Real Madrid 's period under Zinedine Zidane was golden in both the stints when the club legend arrived as a first-team manager, but his second stint was more impressive given the squad he had at his disposal and how it was half in rebuild.
One player the coach constantly admired during his time at the club was Eden Hazard , who signed for a fee of up to €150 million , and he even placed the Belgian star as his top transfer target for his new project when he returned in 2019 for his second stint at the club.
The player eventually arrived just months into Zidane's second spell and was seen as the player who could replace Cristiano Ronaldo in the attack. From the very start, however, Hazard struggled to adapt and never really got going at the club.
There were some highs Zidane and Hazard enjoyed together, including the 2019-20 La Liga title, but the coach eventually left at the end of the 2020-21 season and Hazard made his exit after two more miserable years under Carlo Ancelotti.
One of Real Madrid's costliest mistakes. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Speaking to the media in a recent interaction, former Real Madrid coach and current Les Bleus manager Zinedine Zidane recounted the signing of Eden Hazard for Real Madrid and how the transfer ended up failing.
The Belgian star, after all, arrived amid massive expectations but failed to even remotely come close to his best at any point during his stint at the club.
Zidane extended support to Hazard and backed him despite his rough spell at Real Madrid via Football.fr , saying,
"I think me and Eden Hazard are pretty close. He is a charming guy."
Zidane spoke highly of the former Belgian winger. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
"I would've liked for him to do more, after what he did at Chelsea , but sadly he had physical setbacks,"he added.
Speaking further on how physical setbacks, injuries and poor fitness all ended up being hurdles for the player to succeed in Spain, the club legend said,
"Because of physical issues, Eden Hazard could not give what he wanted to give [at Real Madrid]."
"But in any case, I have good memories of him. Memories of his as a player and a person,"he added.
