Eden Hazard was unveiled as an official Real Madrid player last night and the Belgian thanked his former Chelsea teammate, Matteo Kovacic for helping with a very important detail.
The two-time Premier League champion completed an initial £88.5m move from Chelsea this summer. Speaking in first ever press conference as a Galactico, he said, “Zidane was my idol. I looked up to him. He’s Real Madrid manager, and it was important he was here, but not the most important factor because I’ve always wanted to be here.
Hazard revealed that Kovacic was a big help in helping him get the number that he wanted. He added, “I like playing number 10, or maybe on the left, but it is not up to me where I play.”
The 28-year-old had used the Croatian connection to speak with Real Madrid midfielder, Luka Modric about possibly lending him the number 10 jersey. “I have been able to talk to Modric through Kovacic,” he continued. “I was joking when I asked him to lend me the number 10.
“He said no so I’ll have to find another number. But right now number not important for me, just to play with this badge.”
Of course, a player of Hazard’s magnitude will be expected to justify the number 7 shirt that was left behind by the Cristiano Ronaldo last summer.
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