Hazard 'in heaven' playing under Zidane

While reflecting on the impact Maurizio Sarri and Antonio Conte had on his career, Eden Hazard heaped praise on new coach Zinedine Zidane.

Published : Aug 10, 2019 19:42 IST

Eden Hazard says his childhood dream was to wear a Real Madrid shirt.
Eden Hazard says his childhood dream was to wear a Real Madrid shirt.
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Eden Hazard says his childhood dream was to wear a Real Madrid shirt.

Eden Hazard learned a lot from former coaches Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri but revealed he is in "seventh heaven" at playing under his footballing idol Zinedine Zidane.

The close-season signing from Chelsea scored his first goal for Los Blancos in its 1-0 friendly win against Salzburg on Wednesday and will hope to be involved again against Roma on Sunday.

Madrid gets its LaLiga season underway against Celta Vigo a week later and Hazard underlined his positive mental state ahead of the campaign with words of high praise for his coach.

"As a child I dreamed of one day wearing Real Madrid's shirt," Hazard told Corriere della Sera .

"When Real knock on your door you can do only one thing: open it.

Read: 'Valverde can cope with Neymar conundrum'

"At Chelsea I spent unforgettable years, but here I am in seventh heaven. One of my idols, as a child, was Zinedine Zidane. I had his poster in the room and now I have the opportunity to be trained by him."

While Hazard embarks upon a new chapter of his career at Santiago Bernabeu, former coach Conte will take charge of an Inter team featuring his Belgium team-mate Romelu Lukaku.

Hazard backed Lukaku for success in Serie A, and urged Italian supporters not to underestimate the former Manchester United striker.

"He is a fantastic striker, a bomber who knows how to adapt to all the conditions of the game," said Hazard.

"He will score a lot - and this is important for a striker - but it would be a mistake to consider him just for that. He can do many things.

"For example, he is a specialist for creating what we call 'second plays'. Everyone plays better with him in the team."

Asked whether Conte or newly installed Juventus coach Sarri had the bigger impact on him, Hazard added: "I learned a lot from them both.

"They are different from each other in terms of character and football ideas, but they have one thing in common: they are two winners.

"They have a marked style, and they know which messages to give to players."

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