Eden Hazard has revealed that he had already decided to quit Chelsea a year before he actually departed Stamford Bridge this summer window.
After helping the Blues win the Europa League in May, the influential playmaker made a £150million transfer move to the Bernabeu just a few days later.
But the move had been on the cards as early as the 2018 World Cup and he conceded he had also been convinced by Madrid and former Chelsea team-mate Thibaut Courtois about ending his stay at the club.
Madrid president Florentino Perez and Luka Modric were also influential in his exit from Chelsea, where he arrived from Lille in 2012 and proved important in landing two Premier League titles, two Europa Leagues, the FA Cup and the League Cup.
‘Courtois is someone I know well and trust,’ he told Real Madrid TV. He always told me it [Madrid] was the best club. ‘After the World Cup in Russia I wanted to go to Madrid, I had already made the decision.
‘It was not possible and I had to spend another year at Chelsea. That made the exit easier though, Chelsea understood and let me out.
‘I spoke to Florentino [Perez] and he told me that he wanted to sign me.
‘After, I spoke with Luka Modric and felt that everyone wanted me at Real Madrid. And finally it was fulfilled.’
Despite finally getting his dream move to Madrid it has not been an ideal start for the 28-year-old forward in the Spanish capital.
He has just one goal and two assists in all competitions in seven matches, with Madrid yet to hit their full stride in the League and the Champions League.
