At various points over the last three years, many people in football were wondering why Eden Hazard had not left Real Madrid. Some clubs even enquired as to his availability, although none to the level a playmaker of his quality should be at.
That’s mostly because the Bernabeu has never seen that quality. The great stadium still hasn't seen the real Hazard.
Despite that, the Belgian is content at the club. He’s popular in the dressing room. He loves family life in the Spanish capital. He also, in the words of one figure close to him, “wants to give something back”.
Madrid was always his dream as a club, and Hazard remains unfulfilled. He wants to show his true level.
Celtic Park, at the least, saw a glimpse of that on Tuesday night. After a slow start from coming on as a sub, Hazard picked up pace. That was literally the case as he scythed through the Celtic midfield with the ball to set up Luka Modric’s goal, before later making the right run off the ball to claim a strike of his own.
It wasn’t quite vintage Hazard. But it might have been a sign of things to come.
Hazard is feeling far freer than he has done in three years. His pre-season was certainly the best he’s had in that time, leaving him looking much fitter. That is neither coincidence nor from any more concerted effort.
Hazard had a plate removed from his ankle in March, that he had thought was the source of most of his muscle injuries. That problem was only compounded by a situation where, just months into his career at the Bernabeu, he underwent surgery in Dallas only to come back to the Corona outbreak and an isolated recovery. It was not just the first major injury of his career, but one that involved a hugely difficult psychological challenge.
It was a fight for Hazard, for arguably the first time in his career. Things had usually gone so easily for him. Even the adjustment to this was hard work.
The removal of the plate has since meant he’s now injury free, and mentally feeling his best for some time. That will only be aided by his goal and many good moments against Celtic.
The playmaker is still in something of a bind, though, more challenging than those he used to wriggle out of it.
Hazard basically needs more minutes to get fully up to speed, but Carlo Ancelotti can’t trust him on the wing until he’s back to that level. It means - as on Tuesday - Hazard only really comes in when Karim Benzema is out, and that is extremely rare.
There’s also the fact that it’s almost rarer that Ancelotti deviates from his substitution pattern.
All Hazard can do for now is keep pushing.
Celtic will have helped. Hazard can yet aid Madrid. This has after all been a rare summer where Florentino Perez did not sign an attacking star, since they were supposed to get Kylian Mbappe, so there is that slight possibility for staleness.
A restored Hazard could be a revelation for Madrid, offering them the different element they need.
It’s just there’s still some way to go for that. This was only Celtic.
That is not to disrespect one of Europe’s great clubs. It’s just, relative to Real Madrid, they are one of the Champions League’s financially weaker clubs.
If you put even last season’s Hazard into this Celtic team, he would immediately be the best player by several levels.
It was why, for all of Ange Postecoglou’s admirable insistence on refusing platitudes and insisting his side need to learn, there was no shame to this 3-0 defeat for Celtic.
It’s just where European football is. They did better than many.
Hazard, however, still needs much more.
This was a start, that was wrapped up with a finish.
