Eden Hazard is about to turn 32 (next week) and he has to do it on one of the last occasions to revive a career that has been in the dark for four seasons. The Copa del Rey is the last foothold the Belgian has left and this is how Hazard himself has interpreted it, who has surprised Madrid with his impetus in training since he returned from his disappointing World Cup in Qatar . El Cacereno, tomorrow, is the first stone that he must put if he wants to shorten the distance of the enormous bridge that separates him not only from ownership, but also from being the second option in one of the positions (left winger and false striker) where is handled.
Last season the Cup was already the vehicle for the Madrid 7 to threaten to recover a version that reminded the footballer who cost more than €100M in 2018. In a match similar to tomorrow’s, in the round of 32 in Alcoy, he gave an assist in the 1-3 white and then raised their benefits in the round of 16, with a goal in the 1-2 in Elche. After that, he disappeared on Madrid’s cup journey.
Although right now there are three attackers with a lot of advantage over the rest (Benzema, Vinicius and Rodrygo), the question mark that this season poses with the biorhythms altered by the World Cup makes Ancelotti prefer to have as many plugged in as possible. The peculiar situation of Asensio, with the future in the air, also invites this. The first round of the Cup can be an unappetizing matchup, but Hazard can no longer afford to look down on these matches.