- Belgian makes a triumphant comeback in La Liga.
- Player finding fitness before huge Champions League tie.
- Real Madrid now serious contenders for 14th Champions League title.
The end result was not what Real Madrid was looking for, but having their star man return to the pitch was the biggest highlight from Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo.
After 3 months out injured, Eden Hazard returned to the field for Real Madrid and left the pitch to a standing ovation.
With a huge tie on the horizon against Manchester City, Hazard’s return from injury could not come at a better time for Los Blancos.
Manchester City, Barcelona, and the rest of Europe should all be more than a little worried.
Hazard – a True Galactico
Long gone are the days when Real Madrid lined up with Roberto Carlos, Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo, Beckham, and Raul all in the same team.
Cristiano left too soon. Bale has been a massive disappointment. And Karim Benzema delivers season after season but doesn’t get the worldwide recognition that he probably deserves.
Eden Hazard is arguably the only true galactico of this current Madrid team and his return adds a much-needed sprinkle of stardust to a pretty functional team.
And just at the right time.
It’s All About Europe
Florentino Perez has presided over one of the most successful periods in the history of Real Madrid.
Winning La Liga and getting one over arch-rivals Barcelona always puts a smile on his face, but it is in Europe where his teams have enjoyed the majority of their success.
A player like Eden Hazard was brought in to return Madrid to the summit of European football. And nothing less than that will be accepted as the season gets into the business end.
Hazard Against Old Enemies
Madrid’s tie against Manchester City will see Eden Hazard renew acquaintances with many old enemies. And City are now in full-blown crisis after the decision to ban the club from the next two Champions League tournaments.
Will the ban spur on the likes of De Bruyne, Sterling, and Aguero to go all out to win this season’s trophy? Or will the turmoil affecting the club see them unable to bring their A-game when it is needed the most?
A player of Eden Hazard’s undoubted quality has the opportunity to make all of these questions irrelevant. His addition to this solid but unspectacular Madrid team could very well render all of City’s best efforts as moot.
With a suspect defense and the storm clouds of anger and bitterness hanging over Manchester City. The stage is now set for Eden Hazard to end City’s season and spur Madrid onto glory.
The rest of Europe should take notice.
This article was edited by Samburaj Das.
