Real Madrid ace Eden Hazard says it took him so long to leave Chelsea because he had the chance to win something every year at the club.
The Belgian finally sealed a long-awaited move to Madrid over the summer, with Zinedine Zidane’s side forking out £130m to prise him away from Stamford Bridge.
In seven years with the Blues, Hazard bagged 110 goals in 352 games and secured two Premier League, as many Europa League, one FA Cup and one League Cup triumphs.
His departure, then, proved a gut-wrenching moment for them - even more so given the two-window transfer ban that has prevented new boss Frank Lampard from replacing him.
Chelsea were fortunate to keep hold of Hazard last season, with Real plotting to bring him to the Bernabeu at the time, and he went onto enjoy his best goalscoring year in SW6, netting 21 in 52 games.
But while the winger admits it was always his dream to play at the Bernabeu, he has revealed why it took him so long to wave goodbye to the Blues.
“When I was at Chelsea I already knew that my dream afterwards was to come and play for this club one day,” he said.
“I hadn’t expected to play for Chelsea for seven years, but in the end it went well and I had the chance to win something every year.
“I think that’s why I stayed there so long.
“It’s now a dream for me to be here and I hope to make the most of it.”
Hazard had to wait to make his debut for Madrid after picking up a thigh injury in pre-season, finally making his bow coming off the bench in a 3-2 win at home to Levante last week.
The 28-year-old’s first start is not one he’ll cherish, though, as Los Blancos were hammered 3-0 away at Paris St-Germain in their opening Champions League game on Wednesday night.
Like many in their ranks, Hazard did not produce a stellar display at the Parc des Princes - and former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand fears he has moved to Madrid at the wrong time.
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“When you go to a new club, especially the size of Real Madrid, you've got to earn the right to be the man who gets all the ball - the talisman who you look to first,” he told BT Sport.
“He's got to do something in the training games, in the actual games he plays, so that people go 'we need to give him the ball'.
“But I'm fearful for him that he's gone there at the wrong time.
“This is a team that's ageing, this is a team that's not on their way up, they've not got much spark about them at the moment, and that's going to affect him, and it's going to reflect badly on him maybe in the long term.”
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