Hazard is back on the field after surgery. Why should it be a final return this time?

Eden Hazard’s career at Real Madrid has been riddled with injuries, almost to be considered a fiasco. But now the Belgian winger has caught his next breath and is back on the pitch after surgery. Why should it be a final return this time?

Hazard made his first match appearance in 85 days. On March 29, he underwent surgery to remove a splint from his right ankle. To understand all the context and why we might finally see the old Hazard, we need to go back to November 2019.

Hazard didn’t exactly score points in his first six months after his transfer from Chelsea, and it took him some time to adapt, but he certainly put in some interesting performances. But on November 26, 2019, the Belgian’s career was turned upside down.

In the Champions League group match against PSG, he was indiscriminately shot down by his teammate Thomas Meunier. His ankle was so devastated that Hazard had to undergo surgery and practically missed the rest of the season as he was never able to play more than 2 games in a row after his return.

Hazard has never been the same since. For one thing, health-wise, as he never played more than 7 games in a row at Real Madrid, each time managing to get injured in between. At the same time also on the pitch, where his performances were a shadow of the Chelsea character where he was the best player in the Premier League.

Change of movement

And what was to blame for the game’s decline? That was recently declassified by national team teammate Christian Benteke. “Hazard is a different player today because of his injuries. He tries to avoid contact so he doesn’t get injured, even though his style of play demands it. The Eden thing is over, which sold 5-6 players,” Benteke explained Hazard’s change in playing style.

And he was specifically referring to his ankle, which had the aforementioned splint that didn’t allow him the same movement as before. It made him look like he was carrying a weight when he ran. In addition, he was playing under a lot of pain that made it virtually impossible for him to get into top form.

But we’ve moved on to May 15, 2022, and Hazard finally started again without the splint in his ankle that was bothering him so much in his coordination of movement.

He came on for 27 minutes at Cadiz and showed some interesting moments, especially in movement he seemed much freer, probably most similar to his running before his first ankle injury.

He will stay at Real Madrid for another season, as coach Carlo Ancelotti has already confirmed. According to him, Hazard has a great motivation to finally make it at the royal club, which now, with his health restored, could finally work out.

Source: Twitter, Marca