New Real Madrid star Eden Hazard insists he will bring a freedom of spirit to his new club as he prepares to play his first game for Los Blancos.
Madrid will take on Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich on Saturday (GST 04:00 +1) in the International Champions Cup at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
It may prove the first taster of Hazard’s Real career since his €100m move from Chelsea last month, having signed off at the Blues with a stunning display in the Europa League final victory over Arsenal.
Real’s attack has looked lacklustre since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo last summer – their La Liga goal tally plummeted from 94 to 63 – but Hazard, who provided 16 goals and 15 assists in the Premier League for Chelsea last season, should remedy that.
While it remains to be seen how Zinedine Zidane melds him into Real’s forward line, the 28-year-old has made it clear that he plays at his best when given a free role.
“It’s just friendly games [coming up] but for me it’s going to be my first game with Real Madrid so of course I want to impress everyone: my teammates, the boss, the fans so I will try to do my best,” he said in an interview with Jay Shetty.
“I try to play freely, sometimes it’s difficult in football, but I’m the kind of player who, if he does not play freely, it’s bad.
“I like to put myself on the right [wing], then on the left, sometimes in the centre, playing by instinct. That’s football for me – instinct. I do not think about each action carefully, in a second I make the decision.”
