Eden Hazard has finally opened up about his time in London and the pressure he felt to change. He says one of his old coaches at Chelsea wanted him to live like Cristiano Ronaldo. The manager thought it would help him reach a higher level. But the Belgian winger wasn’t having it.
He ‘Just wanted to be myself’ during his peak years in the Premier League. He didn’t want to spend all day in the gym or counting every calorie.
And it’s no secret that Hazard enjoyed a more relaxed approach to his career. He often joked about his love for burgers and having a beer after a big win. But his talent was so high that it didn’t seem to matter for a long time.
Fans loved him because he played with a smile on his face. He took on whole teams by himself and made it look easy. He’s never been the type to spend hours lifting weights or doing extra sprints after training.
The pressure to be a gym rat
Managers like Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte were known for being strict with their players. One of his bosses at Chelsea told him he could be the best in the world if he worked harder.
They saw what Ronaldo was doing at Real Madrid and wanted the same from Hazard. But the winger didn’t think he needed to be a physical beast to win games. He thought it was boring and preferred having the ball at his feet. He’s spoken before about how he hated the gym.
He says he couldn’t live like a monk for fifteen years. According to a report from Goal.com, his career trajectory shifted once he finally left for Spain. Maybe the lack of a strict lifestyle finally caught up with his body when he reached thirty.
But he doesn’t seem to have many regrets about how he handled things. He’s always been a player who followed his gut feeling. And it worked for him at Stamford Bridge.
He’s quite happy with the trophies he won. He won two Premier League titles and the Europa League twice. He was the best player in England for several seasons. Some people think he could have won a Ballon d’Or if he trained like Ronaldo.
But Hazard thinks he would have burned out much sooner if he did that. He needed to be happy off the pitch to perform on it. It’s a fair point when you see how many players struggle with mental fatigue.
Just wanted to be myself on the pitch
Hazard thinks that’s why he was so creative. If he were unhappy off the field he wouldn’t have been the same guy.
He liked to go out with friends and eat what he wanted. He didn’t want his whole life to be about football. Ronaldo is famous for his strict diet and sleeping patterns. But that kind of life didn’t appeal to the Belgian star. He wanted to enjoy his life while he was young and famous.
But some fans think he wasted his potential by not following that advice. He was compared to Messi and Ronaldo every week for years. And yet he never reached those same levels of longevity at the very top. He’s retired now, so he doesn’t have to worry about what managers think anymore. He seems really happy with the choice he made back then. He lived his life his way. And he still became a legend for Chelsea.
It’s interesting to hear him talk about it now. Most players just say the right things in interviews. They talk about hard work and dedication. But Hazard is being honest about who he was. He didn’t want to be a machine. He wanted to be a human being who played football. And honestly, that’s why so many people liked him.
The Real Madrid disaster and legacy
When he moved to Madrid, things went south fast. Injuries ruined his time there, and he never looked like the same guy. People blamed his fitness levels and his weight when he arrived for pre-season. It’s a shame because he was the best player in England for a long time.
The move to Spain was supposed to be his big moment. Instead, it became a bit of a nightmare for him and the club. He has been seen at charity games lately, looking much more relaxed.
He’s not the first player to pick happiness over stats. And he won’t be the last. He won leagues and European trophies his own way. Some people will always wonder what if he had trained like a machine. But Hazard doesn’t care about the what-ifs.
He’s just glad he stayed true to who he is. He’s been enjoying his retirement lately and looks like he’s having fun. He probably has a burger whenever he wants now. He deserves it after everything he did for the game.
His legacy at Chelsea is secure, no matter what happened in Madrid. The fans there won’t forget the way he used to glide past defenders.
He was a special talent that only comes around once in a while. Even if he didn’t have the same drive as Ronaldo, he had something else. He had a joy for the game that was infectious. And in the end, that’s what football is supposed to be about. He’s done with the pro game now and seems at peace with it.
Ishaan Singh 
Baishali Karmakar 
Govind Singh