Eden Hazard responded to criticism from Toni Kroos about the Belgian\u2019s underwhelming stint at Real Madrid. The winger was, at his peak, one of the most unstoppable players in the Premier League during his time at Chelsea. This led to him securing his dream move to Spain in a deal worth \u00a388.5m.<\/p>\n
Brought in to be the heir replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, Hazard failed to meet expectations for a number of different reasons, including poor form, injuries and weight-related issues. His disappointing spell was felt not just by fans but his teammates too, with Kroos eluding to the fact that the 33-year-old was a bad transfer and let his career fade to black at the Bernabeu.<\/p>\n
After hearing the criticism, the 2015 PFA Player of the Year responded to the midfielder\u2019s critique in a fashion that only he could.<\/p>\n
Eden Hazard Response to Toni Kroos Criticism
\nThe Belgian was undeterred by his former teammate\u2019s harsh words<\/p>\n
Speaking on \u2018The Obi One podcast\u2019 with John Obi Mikel, Hazard was asked about his thoughts on the World Cup winner\u2019s comments. True to form, the attacker responded with a grin splattered across his face. He told the hosts:<\/p>\n
\u201cNo [on if he gives harsh comments any time of day]. You know, he came to my house yesterday to pick up his kid. There is no problem with that.<\/p>\n
\u201cJohn Obi Mikel talked ******** with me and I am still doing his podcast. I don\u2019t care man. They can think what they want. Not a problem. I can sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
As is evident by his appearance on the podcast, the former Premier League winner is someone who enjoys life without taking things too seriously. For some of his critics, this attitude is actually what led to his downfall at Madrid and brought his scintillating career to a premature end.<\/p>\n
The player himself responded tothese claims, telling The Sun via L\u2019Equipe that although he didn\u2019t believe in dieting, he felt as though he acted as a professional throughout his playing days:<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t watching what I ate but I didn\u2019t go for a burger every day either. You can\u2019t do that for 16 years. I didn\u2019t think it was important.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to eat and drink with my friends. If you want to play until you\u2019re 40, then okay, but I knew I wouldn\u2019t be like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Chelsea superstar came to Madrid with much fanfare following years of speculation. In bringing him in, Florentino Perez smashed the club\u2019s transfer record which had previously been held by Gareth Bale. Despite his success in London, Hazard failed to fill the shoes of Ronaldo, who had departed for Juventus the year prior.<\/p>\n
During his time in the Spanish capital, the former Belgian skipper managed just seven goals in 76 games, adding another 12 assists. This averages his transfer fee out to \u00a31.14m per appearance for the club. The forward missed exactly 500 days due to injury across the four years, making him unavailable for a quarter of his duration at the club.<\/p>\n
Eden Hazard Real Madrid Stats
\nAppearances\t76
\nGoals\t7
\nAssists\t12
\nInjuries\t15
\nStats per Transfermarkt
\nWhile his critic Kroos undeniably had a better career in Spain \u2013 and is one of the great Real Madrid stars of all time \u2013 it\u2019s interesting to note that he also brought his career to an early end. Indeed, in the summer of 2024, the German decided to hang up his boots while still in his prime (having just won a Champions League and La Liga double), joining the list of wonderful footballers who opted to retire earlier than needed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Eden Hazard responded to criticism from Toni Kroos about the Belgian\u2019s underwhelming stint at Real Madrid. The winger was, at his peak, one of the most unstoppable players in the Premier League during his time at Chelsea. This led to him securing his dream move to Spain in a deal worth \u00a388.5m. Brought in to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":27073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n