TalkSPORT pundit Ray Parlour has laid into Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard, claiming that the Belgian lacked the professionalism to fully reach his potential.
Speaking after Belgium were eliminated from the group stages of the World Cup, the former Arsenal midfielder questioned why the 31-year-old had been so disappointing since his £88.5m move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Hazard failed to score at the World Cup as Belgium were knocked out following a disappointing draw with Croatia, and the last few years have seen a remarkable fall from grace for someone who consistently tore up the Premier League.
In his prime, the Belgian was unplayable and ended his Chelsea career with 110 goals and 92 assists in 352 matches, but he has been anything but remarkable since he departed Stamford Bridge.
“What’s happened to Hazard, I don’t know what’s happened to him?” Parlour stated.
“During the break, me and [Tony] Adams had a little conversation and we had Jose Mourinho, and he said ‘Hazard could have been one of the best in the world.'”
“At one stage he might have been, but his application, his work rate, his training, he didn’t put it in every single day in training, if he did he could’ve been up there with the best.”
TIF thoughts on Hazard…
Parlour’s comments about Mourinho particularly stand out, given that Hazard played under the Portuguese manager for over two years at Chelsea, scoring 36 and assisting 30 times in 125 matches.
Although Hazard may go down as one of the Premier League’s best attackers ever to some, his time in Madrid has been nothing short of a disaster, as injuries, fitness and form issues has seen him score just seven times in 72 matches.
His lack of form, as Parlour has stated, can be down to his professionalism and fitness management, and that is what has separated him from the more consistent greats of his generation.
Belgium’s World Cup exit has sparked talk that their Golden Generation era is over, and the decline of Hazard has been a significant factor in their fall from grace.