'I didn't like it' - Ex-Barcelona scout explains why he advised against pursuit of Eden Hazard prior to Chelsea and Real Madrid transfers

Before Hazard went off to play for Chelsea and Real Madrid, the Blaugrana had a chance to sign the teenage talent. According to former scout Bojan Krkic, father of the forward who played for Barca and Stoke City, the youngster's talent was plain to see, but his attitude was not up to scratch.

Krkic told Cadena SER, via Sport: “I met him at the U17 European Championship, where my son was playing. Belgium reached the final, but Spain won; Hazard played wonderfully throughout the tournament, except the final. Then, he signed for Lille. I went to see him against Montpellier. It was August and in the warm-up there was a player missing, everyone was wearing short sleeves and Hazard came out in a tracksuit. The team was all together to warm up, he was stretching, he was looking at the stands. He played well, but in terms of dedication and attitude, I didn’t like it.

“I went to see him three days later against Angers. He was on the bench, like other starters. Everyone was warming up and he was walking. The physical trainer told them to stretch and he was watching the game. I put ‘discarded’ in the report. These types of footballers, who are very good, have shown me that they have not given results; both when they were my teammates and when I was a Barca scout. My report was: maximum quality, technically and tactically; but due to attitude and personality, with more details, I ruled him out."

Hazard signed for Lille at the age of 16 and went on to become a club legend at Chelsea. In his pomp, the Belgium international was one of the best players in the world and that led to a Real Madrid transfer in 2019, for a fee worth up to £150 million ($194m). Injuries severely hampered his time there and in the end, he retired from the sport in 2023. But the 33-year-old had a great career, nonetheless.

Hazard is now enjoying the fruits of retirement after hanging up his boots. While injuries hampered the tail end of his career, the Belgian did not seem too down about the end of this chapter.

He said just over a year ago: "After 16 years and more than 700 matches played, I have decided to end my career as a professional footballer. I was able to realise my dream, I have played and had fun on many pitches around the world."