Hazard can cement Real Madrid interest against France

The kings are dead, long live the king.

Gone from the World Cup are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the old guard deservedly vanquished. Neymar, for many a pretender to the throne, has also been sent packing, his most meaningful impact on the tournament being a series of dives that sparked a million memes. And so it is step forward, Eden Hazard.

On Tuesday night, Belgium’s Pringle-shirted golden generation tee off against rivals France in the semi-final. It is a mouthwatering local derby on the world stage between two nations who make jokes about each other.

Nobody on the French side will be smiling should Hazard, who grew up worshipping France’s turn-of-the-century heroes, continue his rise to the top of the global game.

This feels like Hazard’s time. The talk is that Real Madrid, always keen on big statements following big tournaments, want to make him the successor to Ronaldo.

For all his success in west London, becoming the main man at the Bernabeu would elevate him from the ranks of tier two to tier one. There is business to attend to first.

Without wanting to downplay the achievements of England and Croatia, the winners of this semi-final will justifiably view themselves as tournament favourites. Hazard will be instrumental in how the game pans out.

This is a player clearly in a better place now than he was just a few months ago. In the quarter-final defeat of Brazil, his 10 successfully-completed dribbles broke Selecao hearts and a 52-year World Cup record. Often, he left the South Americans – and legions of fawning commentators - clutching at straws.

Watching him unshackled and out-Brazilling Brazil, it was hard not to recall a miserable, wet March Sunday afternoon at the Etihad Stadium. This was peak Antonio Conte trough. Hazard became the footballing equivalent of a caged animal, spending 89 minutes as the falsest of false nines.

Conte remains in post, for now. His departure is expected shortly. If, as expected, Maurizio Sarri takes over, all may not be lost for those hoping he remains in England.

A clue to the Hazard’s intentions may come from an interview he gave to The Guardian in late 2016, during Chelsea’s march to the title in Conte’s first year.

Reflecting on an earlier conversation, Hazard revealed that he had told the manager he ‘had no intention of leaving after such a poor year’ before Conte’s arrival.

‘I didn’t want to go out like that,’ he added. ‘If I ever leave, it will be after winning a championship. You need to go out on a high so that people remember you for the right reasons.’ There is no doubt that should he go now, Chelsea fans will remember the good times.

However, going out following a season in which the club failed to make the Champions League may not sit well with Hazard’s moral compass, even though there can be no questioning his loyalty to the club.

While Hazard’s departure would be a huge blow to Chelsea on the field it would also be felt off it. The playmaker is the club’s highest profile player and, as a result, is a man in demand.

Hazard is subject to more interview and commercial appearance requests than any other member of the squad. Stamford Bridge insiders say he fulfils his duties with little fuss and zero complaints. The ego is nowhere near as big as others they have experienced — even those who have nowhere near Hazard’s talent.

His consoling of Neymar in the aftermath of Belgium’s defeat of Brazil surprised nobody at Cobham where he is viewed with affection.

Hazard and David Luiz are often key figures when it comes to entertaining seriously ill children who attend the club’s monthly community days and who meet the players after every home match.

On more than one occasion he has grabbed the mic to interview team-mates for Chelsea’s TV channel.

At an event for human appeal, Hazard collapsed with laughter at Branislav Ivanovic’s English. Few would have got away with such a response. That Hazard did spoke volumes about how he is thought of by others.

At 27, a move may well be timely. The stage is set for a new star to join Ronaldo and Messi at the top table.