After being presented to 50,000 supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday night Eden Hazard declared: I’ve come to be the best player in the world.
The 28-year-old, who had drawn a crowd for his presentation bigger than three of Real Madrid’s league games last season, said of his signing: ‘Everything began last year after the World Cup but I continued one year more (at Chelsea) and I think that worked out well both on a personal level and for the club because we won the Europa League.
‘I never doubted that I would end up playing for Real Madrid. I will try to be become the best player in the world. But before that I will try to make Madrid the best team in the world.’
There are contesting versions of Hazard’s price tag. Madrid have briefed that he has cost €100m with €30m in add-ons to follow.
Elsewhere a price of £150m has been suggested. Either way he will end up being Real Madrid’s most expensive signing but he was keen to play that status down: ‘No I’m not a Galactico, not yet. I can still improve,’ he said.
He was presented without a shirt number and joked: ‘I’ve been lucky because I have been able to talk to Luka Modric through Mateo Kovacic and I asked him if could lend me the No 10 shirt and he said no.’
That raised a laugh and a relaxed Hazard grinned through his first press conference, charming Madrid reporters as he had the supporters who half filled the Bernabeu and created a more impressive atmosphere than for some of last season’s games.
Award winning journalist and writer who has worked as a stringer for a couple of acclaimed South Africa based German journalists, covered 3 Ugandan elections, 2008 Kenya election crisis, with interests in business and sports reporting.