Real Madrid star Eden Hazard has revealed what manager Zinedine Zidane told him amid his form crisis, and rejected claims that he had arrived in Spain overweight.
Hazard arrived at Los Blancos at the beginning of the season for a reported fee of €100 million (R1.6 billion) from Chelsea, but was widely criticised during the early parts of the campaign due to his indifferent form.
The Belgium international has since admitted that he struggled in Spain initially, but also revealed that Zidane helped keep him motivated during his early days at the Santiago Bernabeu.
"The first two or three months at Real Madrid were not as I wanted them to be," Hazard said, according to Marca.
"Zinedine Zidane told me to remain calm. 'Be happy,' he repeated to me.
"He goes straight to the point, he loves his players. You feel that the team is happy for him being the coach."
Much of Hazard's troubles were attributed to the fact that he arrived at the club overweight, but the former Chelsea star has defended his fitness and physique.
"It is true, when I am on vacation, I am on vacation. Otherwise, I never have a vacation," the 28-year-old added.
"When I was 18 years old at Lille, I weighed 72 or 73kg. Then, when I increased muscle mass, I reached 75kg.
"This summer I weighed 80kg, but I lost everything in 10 days."
Hazard has scored once in 11 appearances across all competitions for Los Blancos so far this season.
