Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard Could Miss El Clasico vs. Barcelona with Leg Injury

Dave Thompson/Associated Press

Eden Hazard’s status for Real Madrid’s match against Barcelona on Oct. 25 is in doubt, according to ESPN’s Rodrigo Faez and Alex Kirkland. 

Madrid released a statement on Wednesday but provided little in the way of specifics: “Following tests carried out today on our player, Eden Hazard, by Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a muscle injury in his right leg. His recovery will continue to be assessed.”

Faez and Kirkland reported the Belgian attacker could be out for three to four weeks, a timeframe that would include El Clasico.

Hazard signed for Madrid in June 2019 for around €100 million and had what he called “the worst season of my career.” He made 16 La Liga and six Champions League appearances, registering a total of one goal and four assists.

Prior to 2019-20, the 29-year-old had averaged 35 domestic appearances over his previous 11 seasons between Lille and Chelsea. While his on-field performance was an occasional question mark at Chelsea, his durability was never in doubt.

Now, injuries are becoming a problem for Hazard.

Real Madrid captured their 34th league title last year, but there’s no question they’d benefit greatly from seeing Hazard back to his usual self.

The absence of Cristiano Ronaldo is glaring in the Madrid attack. Madrid finished with 94 La Liga goals in 2017-18, Ronaldo’s final season. That figure dropped to 63 and 70 over each of the past two years.

Karim Benzema was fantastic in 2019-20, scoring 21 goals, but centre-back Sergio Ramos was Madrid’s second-leading goalscorer. He had 11, six of which came from the penalty spot. James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale have left, while Luka Jovic might be joining them out the door.

That puts pressure on Hazard to yield some sort of return, but it could be a repeat of his last campaign if he can’t return to fitness soon.