Eden Hazard’s textbook answer sparks another round of Real Madrid transfer speculation

Death, taxes, Eden Hazard linked with Real Madrid. Another day, another non-story, but headlines will make it seem like it is.

It’s not.

It’s the same thing you’ve heard once, twice, ten, twenty, hundred times.

Earlier this week, Eden (and several other biggest stars in world football) helped Nike launch some new products at the 20th anniversary celebration of their Mercurial football boots line. Among the journalists invited to the party were Marca’s eager scribes, who thrust the microphone in Hazard’s face and asked their usual questions.

Eden gave his usual answer.

”[Laughs] In football, you never know.”

Headline done.

”I’m happy at Chelsea, and fully focused on them.”

And that’s the part that gets ignored and buried in the article itself. No one reads the articles anymore.

”Of course it is incredible [to hear compliments from Zidane]. I remember 10 years ago, when he first spoke about me, it was incredible. He was my idol when I was a child, I have seen thousands of videos about him and now he is the manager of one of the best clubs in the world.”

”But I do not want to stop, I want to continue working and striving on the field and then, yes, I love it when people like him speak well of me.”

-Eden Hazard; source: Marca via FourFourTwo

Yawn.

Is Zidane still the manager at Real? He may yet still beat Conte to the inevitable sacking that’s surely coming for both of them at or before the end of the season.

Whether you think Hazard should or shouldn’t answer these sorts of questions the way he tends to answer them (and like Courtois tends to answer them, or Azpilicueta or whoever — it’s literally the textbook answer in this situation), the situation remains the same as it ever was. Eden likes Chelsea, is settled in London, and is happy with his current situation. A new contract should get signed at some point in the near future, and there’s no strong indication to any other outcome at this point.

The media will always talk up and sensationalize these sorts of quotes. Don’t be one of those people who falls for this nonsense.