Eden Hazard’s jersey number revealed. The new recruit had his previous choices turned down. The Galactico has had to settle for a new number. However, the reason behind the new number points to his other love.
Eden Hazard was easily the best player in Chelsea outfit for quite a long time. Having accomplished everything he could with the London side, the Belgian sought a new challenge and his wish was carried out as Zinedine Zidane brought him to Madrid as his marque signing this summer.
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Hazard walked in to the Santiago Bernabeu as their biggest buy this summer. His presentation had the 3rd highest turn up in Real Madrid’s history. Falling short of only Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka. With such fanfare and the huge price tag with which he came it was expected that he would be seen as an important figure in the dressing room. However, it seems as if his teammates are far from impressed.
Eden Hazard wore the number 10 during his stay in London. However, any hope of him wearing the same number in the Spanish capital vanished in thin air when the current wearer, Luka Modric, refused to vacate the number.
Hazard then set his sights on the legendary no.7 shirt. A shirt that has previously been worn by the likes of Kopa, Amancio, Juanito, Raúl and Cristiano. Unfortunately, Mariano Diaz also refused to give up his prized shirt. Convinced that he can win his place in the team, the youngster has refused to let go.
New number revealed
Instead the former Chelsea playmaker has now been forced to choose a new number. The Belgian has settled for the number 23. A number that is associated with Beckham in the Spanish capital.
It is a coincidence that the number 7 he previously asked was associated to David Beckham in Manchester United and now the new number, 23, is also associated with the English legend. However, there is more than meets the eye with here.
Hazard’s first love may be football but the playmaker is an avid fan of NBA. Marca have reported that Michael Jordan who famously wore the number when playing for the bulls is major inspiration why he has chosen to play with that number on his back.
While Beckham, Mesut Ozil and Isco may have worn the number before the Belgian, the number is far from important in Real Madrid and football history. It is up to Hazard to make that number his own and make it legendary. The only way to achieve that though is through his performance on the pitch.
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