If Eden Hazard played for Barcelona...

If Eden Hazard was a Barcelona player, today he would be splashed all over the front pages in Madrid. They would say, correctly, he cost 160 million euros and in two seasons he’s been injured 10 times and scored three goals. They would investigate whose idea it was to sign him and leak the reports of the sporting director, who would look ridiculous. It would also put Vinicius and Rodrygo under the microscope, who cost 100 million euros, and have scored seven goals in three years and two in two respectively.

If Hazard had signed for Barca, his contract today would be public domain and the fees in his transfer probably investigated by some tribunal. The failed return of Mariano would be mentioned too. The crisis of Hazard would join Ramos’s contract saga and all the alarms would be ringing, with the team bad up front and without a defence. It would also highlight the generational failure in Madrid, with legends like Kroos and Modric without replacement.

If Ansu, Pedri or Araujo were Madrid players there would be long articles about Zidane knowing how to plan for the future and bring through a young generation, in contrast to an ageing Barca. There would be no leak of a contract to cover up Madrid being knocked out of the cup, losing second place and playing appallingly.

If Hazard played for Barca he would be a symbol (like Dembele was and Coutinho is) of disastrous planning. We would read “how Hazard ruined Barcelona’s finances”. But Hazard doesn’t play for Barcelona and so there is no ‘Hazard case’.

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