Eden Hazard has made a shocking revelation over his relationship with Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, insisting they don’t talk to each other.
The former Chelsea legendary star player has been limited to just 296 minutes of football action at Los Blancos in all competitions this season after falling out of favor under the Italian coach, limiting his feat to a single goal and assist.
Despite being a regular on Real Madrid’s bench, the 32-year-old Belgium captain has not featured in La Liga or the Champions League since the World Cup break.
And the former Stamford Bridge hero revealed his relationship with the former Everton manager has withered to the point that the two no longer interact with each other following Hazard’s absence from the team.
Speaking about his tough time in Real Madrid, Hazard told RTBF ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Liverpool that despite the coldness in his relationship with Ancelotti, he still respects the Italian boss.
He said: “There’s respect between Ancelotti and me.”
“But I’m not going to say that we talk to each other because we don’t talk to each other. But there will always be respect.”
”I have to have respect for a guy like Carlo Ancelotti. What he represents for football, what he has done in his career, there is no problem.”
Coach Carlo Ancelotti reacts
When coach Carlo Ancelotti was asked about Hazard’s comments ahead of the crucial tie with Liverpool, the coach admitted the Belgian’s comments were accurate.
The Real Madrid boss claimed the relationship was not cold despite the duo not speaking much and confirmed that both parties were still respectful of each other.
Ancelotti said: “Hazard has been very honest, we don’t talk much because it could be a matter of character.
The most important thing for me is that if we don’t talk much, he follows me respecting.”
“It’s the most important thing, just like I respect him”
The Italian boss thereafter mentioned that the ulterior motive behind Hazard being sidelined is for the interest of the team as the 32-year-old Belgian has a player in his position who is doing very much better than him.
Ancelotti added: ‘He doesn’t play because he has a lot of competition and a player in his position who is playing very well, which is Vinicius.’
The 32-year-old Norwegian forward signed a five-year contract and became Real Madrid’s highest-paid player when he moved to the Spanish giants in 2019 for an initial £88.3m.
Hazard confirmed his intention to remain at Real Madrid despite his limited game-time.
Despite being put on the periphery of the Los Blancos team, Eden Hazard recently said he has no intention of leaving Real Madrid this summer.
The former Blues star admitted that he wants to see out the final year of his contract at Madrid which is worth £470,000 per week.
Hazard noted that his intention to stay is to ‘feel important’ and regain confidence on the pitch, having previously excelled at Stamford Bridge over a seven-year-spell wearing Blue Jersey.
Eden Hazard retired from international football following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with his two group-stage appearances marking the final matches of his 126 appearances for his country, Belgium.
What Next for Eden Hazard and Real Madrid
Real Madrid will face Jurgen Klopp’s men at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, March 15. They are leading 5-2 on aggregate going into their Champions League Round of 16 second-leg tie.
What’s your opinion about the former Chelsea hero being sidelined at Real Madrid? You can drop your thoughts in the comment box below.
