The situation
The Belgium national coach , Roberto Martínez , trusted this Thursday that the Belgian and Real Madrid striker Eden Hazard can “restart the machine” quickly after his prolonged injury , to participate in two of the three games that the Red Devils will play this month June and, if possible, the World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year.
In an interview with the Belgian newspaper Le Soir , Martínez celebrated that Hazard no longer has the osteosynthesis plate that he had been wearing on his right fibula since his injury in October 2019 and lamented that with this plate “it was impossible for him to feel good and shine”.
And, asked if the striker will now be able to recover the level he showed in the 2018 World Cup, Martínez stated that it is “a matter of rhythm” and that he will need to “play to feel good” .
“We know that he can restart the machine quickly, even at Real Madrid where he will always have competition . He has enough experience to do it and, with us, he has a clear role,” he said.
In this sense, he assured that he hopes that he can play in two of the three games that Belgium will play in the League of Nations in June (the Netherlands, Poland and Wales) and said that “if after this he can play another fifteen in the World Cup, it would be perfect”.
On the other hand, he referred to the season of Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who will miss the next matches with Belgium due to his pubalgia , and acknowledged that, although it is very difficult for a goalkeeper to win the Ballon d’Or, “this could change with Courtois” .
“What I love in his case is the recognition from Real Madrid fans. It ‘s never easy for a foreign player to be so adored in Madrid, especially at a club with a long tradition of local goalkeepers, like Casillas or Buyo,” he said.
The future
Regarding his own future, he recalled that his contract with the Belgian national team lasts until the 2022 World Cup and he preferred not to venture what will come next, although he declared himself open to “discussing” it with the Federation.
“Everything will depend on how things go during the Nations League and the World Cup . You know, if things go bad in Qatar all the Belgians will want me to be kicked out, but if we win I will want to stay four more years to shout in every interview that we are champions,” he joked.