Eden Hazard’s first season at Real Madrid hasn’t exactly gone to plan.
Injuries have derailed the Belgian’s campaign following his move from Chelsea last summer.
“My first season has been bad,” Hazard said in March.
“It’s the worst of my career,” he added in July.
The forward has just one goal to show for his efforts in his first year at Los Blancos, and that came back in October against Granada.
The following month, he picked up an ankle injury from Thomas Meunier in the Champions League.
After recovering from that particular setback, Hazard suffered a relapse of the same injury in his second game back against Levante in February.
He underwent ankle surgery in March but there was still a scare when he got a knock in the same area against Espanyol in June.
Now, the Champions League presents Hazard with the chance of saving his season.
Real Madrid‘s return leg against Manchester City on August 7 is the kind of match that the 29-year-old was signed for.
If Hazard plays a key part in helping Zinedine Zidane‘s side progress to the quarter-finals, everything that’s happened since he arrived at the club will be forgotten.