Despite only managing a third-place finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Belgium were considered as many by the tournament’s best performers. Amongst their squad, which included a core of Premier League stars, Eden Hazard was the stand-out player eventually coming second behind Luka Modric in the hunt for the World Cup Golden Ball.
The common opinion is that the Chelsea forward should have got his hands on the award even though Modric and Croatia made the final. This has fuelled talk of a move away from Stamford Bridge tenfold with Real Madrid looking the most likely destination, even more so after Cristiano Ronaldo’s shock departure.
adidas Golden Ball Award:
?Luka MODRIC (#CRO)
?Eden HAZARD (#BEL)
?Antoine GRIEZMANN (#FRA) #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/KQSRiwUznh— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 15, 2018
Hazard’s Blues teammate, Thibaut Courtois, also excelled in Russia, claiming the Golden Glove award as the best goalkeeper at the tournament. Like with the former Lille winger, the Belgium stopper now looks as though he will leave this summer with Los Blancos reportedly looking into the idea of a double swoop.
Courtois has added his own take on the transfer situation in the aftermath of the World Cup by saying, “Wherever I go, Hazard must come along. We will not let each other go. We’ll see. Now first vacation. And agree with my entourage in between.
“Now I’m going to talk to my manager to see what the possibilities are.
“All options are open to me. Also stay at Chelsea, yes. People always complain that players do not comply with their contracts, but maybe I will.”
It seems as though a chat with new boss Maurizio Sarri is imperative for Chelsea’s first-choice keeper but the same can’t be said for Hazard who seems set on a summer switch to the Bernabeu. When talking with HLN, the 27-year-old wasn’t very cryptic in his comments “After six wonderful years at Chelsea it might be time to discover something different.
“Chelsea will make the final decision – if they want to let me go. You know my preferred destination.”
After a few years of fending off interest from Real Madrid, it now looks like Blues fans will have to succumb to the fact that the Champions League winners are on the verge of signing their star man and possibly the number 1 keeper.
