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Eden Hazard on First Real Madrid Goal: 'I'd Been Waiting for This Moment'
August 8, 2019
Eden Hazard said he had been waiting for a long time to score his first goal for Real Madrid after netting the solitary strike in their 1-0 win over Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday.
In a summer of major transfer activity for Los Blancos, the signing of Hazard has been their most significant, and the Belgium international will be expected to be the team's key attacking player in the upcoming 2019-20 season.
In pre-season, Hazard has looked a little rusty at times, although he has also showcased glimpses of quality. After scoring for the first time as a Real Madrid player, the Belgium international spoke of his delight, per Sacha Pisani of Goal:
"When you're out on the pitch, you want to win the game, and being a forward, you want to score goals. I'd been waiting for this moment for the last five games and it's happened today. I'm very pleased.
"It's still pre-season, but I think we've got more energy now. We've still got another 10 days before our first competitive game so we have to focus and keep working hard. Our aim is to be ready for next week, we can't wait to start La Liga, so we're training and practising hard."
Here is more of what Hazard had to say after his goal:
The strike was an indication of what the 28-year-old can offer. Hazard picked the ball up on the left flank, danced past a couple of challenges and fired a shot beyond the Salzburg goalkeeper.
The Spanish Football Podcast commented on what it believed to be the former Chelsea man's best display in pre-season so far:
Per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC, a tweak in system appeared to give Hazard more freedom in his attacking play:
Hazard darting into the area and firing shots at goal is a sight Real Madrid fans will hope to see more of in the coming months, as they seek to get back on top of Spanish and European football.
Having lost Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus last summer, in 2018-19 the team toiled in attack, with no player able to step up and fill the void the Portuguese's departure left. In Hazard, they now have someone capable of shouldering responsibility in attack.
After all, at Chelsea he was the team's most prolific goalscorer and creator:
Hazard has all the qualities to make a big impression in La Liga, having been regarded as one of the best players in English football for a long time before his move.
Madridistas may not have seen the best of the forward in what has been a challenging pre-season for the club so far. However, they will be encouraged by what was on show against Salzburg, and Hazard will feel some weight off his shoulders ahead of the new campaign.