Eden Hazard appears to be moving headlong towards going down the same sorry path as Gareth Bale as his dream move to Real Madrid continues to sour.
The Belgian arrived at the Bernabeu in a deal worth £85million, having become one of the Premier League's best players while at Chelsea. Handed a wage in the region of £400,000 per week and the iconic number seven shirt, Hazard was expected to become Madrid's next Galatico.
While that was a label he was unwilling to give himself, Hazard admitted his move to Los Blancos was a dream come true. And he insisted that he would attempt to challenge the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the title of the world's best player.
"My dream ever since I was a child has been to play for Real Madrid. I'm going to try to become the best player in the world, but first I wanted to be in the best team in the world. I'm not a Galactico, but I'll try to be, for now I'm Eden Hazard," he said upon his arrival.
Things quickly began to go wrong for Hazard in his dream move though, as he was ruled out of the first 25 days of the 2019/2020 campaign with a hamstring injury. Though he returned after the opening three games, he then suffered a fracture in his foot, which led to another long spell on the sidelines.
He would start just 14 La Liga games in his debut season at the Bernabeu, though manager Zinedine Zidane continued to show faith in him. That faith extended to tinkering with his team and throwing Hazard straight back into action, though the Madrid boss grew increasingly frustrated at his lack of availability.
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"He's not going to be fit. We're going to put something out shortly [on the injury]; I can't say any more. Something is going on. These are things I can't explain. I want to be positive and think it's going to be something small," Zidane said in March 2021.
"They [the fans] have to wait. We know what sort of player he is. They want to see him, of course, just like everyone else here. But now, they can't. We want to help him. I don't know if it will be with me or someone else, because he has a long contract, but I want with all my strength for him to be seen as the player he is. Sooner or later, he'll arrive."
Arrive he still hasn't though and his relationship with Zidane and the La Liga giants' fans was left permanently fractured after a Champions League semi-final against Chelsea. Hazard started the second leg, which Madrid lost to crash out of the competition.
Footage after the game showed that rather than look disappointed with the defeat, Hazard was instead sharing a joke and laughing with the opposition. That infuriated many, including the El Chiringuito TV show, with Hazard forced to apologise.
"I am sorry. I have read lots of opinions about me today and it was not my intention to offend any Real Madrid fans. It has always been my dream to play for Real Madrid and I came here to win. The season is not over and together we must battle for La Liga! Hala Madrid!" Hazard posted on his Instagram story.
Hazard would not start a game under Zidane after that incident as Madrid won the Spanish top-flight. And Zidane's exit last summer led to Hazard losing the man who trusted him to deliver on his mega transfer fee.
Incoming boss Carlo Ancelotti did not share that view, though Hazard did start four of this season's opening five La Liga games. A solitary assist was not enough to keep him in the team though and he duly fell out of favour.
Ancelotti was frequently questioned about Hazard's status in the squad, with injuries playing their part in disrupting his third season at the club. But the Madrid boss was adamant that he had not done enough to earn a place in his side.
"Hazard is ready, but his problem right now is that he has a coach who prefers other players, which can happen in a squad like this one. The important thing is that he stays motivated and works hard so that he can play again, and he is doing that," Ancelotti said in November.
"His time will come. I'm convinced he'll be back to his best at some point this season. He just needs to put up with this situation for now, as sometimes the coach can prefer other players."
A fissure of the fibula derailed his season completely, with Hazard playing just 17 minutes of Madrid's Champions League campaign after the group stages. He would also appear just once in the final 13 La Liga games of the season, with the Frenchman all but ignored by Ancelotti.
The injuries have been the leading cause of his problems, with Hazard ruled out for an astonishing 458 days combined since he joined Los Blancos. That has led to him featuring just 66 times for Madrid since his arrival, comically low for a player expected to be their next superstar.
And now there is major concern that he will tread down the path of Bale, who opted to see out his contract at the club despite his dwindling playing time. Many view the Welshman as a wasted talent after his final years in Spain, with Hazard appearing set to go the same way.
The Belgian still has two years to run on his deal, though he has been linked with a departure. But last month, Ancelotti insisted that he would be staying next season, with his risk of wasting his talent in the same way as Bale never more obvious.
"His plan is quite clear. He stays. He has a lot of motivation because he hasn't had a good time these last few years and he wants to show all of his quality, which for many reasons he hasn't been able to do," Ancelotti said.
There is no doubt that his dream move to Madrid has turned totally sour, just three years after he was widely seen as one of the world's best players. It appears that a fresh start is in order for the Belgian if he is to avoid Bale's miserable final years in Madrid.
