Eden Hazard: "At one point this summer I weighed 80 kilos"
The Real Madrid winger sat down with L'Équipe with only days until he goes head to head with Neymar and co in the Champions League.
Real Madrid's Eden Hazard has always been one of Nasser Al-Khelaïfi's footballing desires. In 2012, before the Belgian joined Chelsea, the PSG chief tried to sign him, but the offer was quickly rejected.
Hazard says 'never' to PSG
The winger joined Los Blancos in the summer and has slowly built up his sharpness following injury with recent signs suggesting he is closing in on the form that had Florentino Pérez digging deep into his pockets. And as the international break comes to an end, Hazard has confessed to French outlet L'Equipe that he had also received another offer from the Parisians, which he again declined.
"I will never play for PSG," he categorically stated. "They have wanted me many times.
"I don't have any intention to return to a Ligue 1 club other than Lille. I have always said no to them [PSG]. "In my head everything is clear. It is a team that would give you a chance of winning the Champions League, but they are not among my priorities.
"If I return to Ligue 1, it will be Lille," Hazard affirmed.
Upon being asked about his weight in pre-season, the Belgian was forthcoming: “I won't hide this, when I'm on holiday, I'm on holiday. I'm one of those people who can gain and lose weight easily. When I was 18 and with Lille, I weighed 72 kilos. This summer I went up to 80 kilos but managed to lose this in just over ten days”.
Start with Real Madrid
The Belgian claimed that he has found his feet at his new club following a difficult start: “I've been happy with how things have gone in the past month. I've scored, provided assists and won a spot kick for the side. In this past month, I've been on the ball more and been able to accelerate past rival players. In my initial games, I tried to play in a more straight forward manner”
“Courtois has been key in helping me adapt but with so many French speakers at the club...Varane, Mendy and Benzema, it makes things far easier”.
The player was also asked about the responsibility of inheriting the No.7 shirt previously worn by Cristiano Ronaldo: “It was initially being used by Mariano and I didn't want to make a fuss about a number as it´s not my style. I knew that Modric wore number 10 and when at Chelsea I wore the number 17, but I also knew that that was allocated to Lucas. In the end it was a decision made by the club.”
Relaxed Zizou
The winger concluded analysing his relationship with French coach Zidane: “He's a man of few words. He keeps things simple but he always takes time to talk to me before a match which helps me feel more relaxed. “Be happy”, he tells me. He's a person who goes straight to the point and is hugely fond of his players. He's keen to maintain an emotional link with the team, even with those players who fail to start. Wee always train with the ball and focus on straightforward quick drills. Sarri was a little more strict and focused on repetition. I spent three seasons with Italian coaches and it's easier to find oneself with Zidane.