Real Madrid attacker Eden Hazard has revealed the toughest opponent he ever faced in his time in England as former Spurs man Kyle Walker.
In an interview with ESPN, the former Chelsea star was asked who his toughest opponent in the Premier League was, and without much hesitation, the Belgian winger offered Kyle Walker as his answer.
At the height of their powers, Hazard and Walker went head to head in many London derbies for their respective clubs. Walker would ultimately move on to Manchester City in 2017 (BBC Sport), while Hazard made the switch to Madrid in 2019.
Hazard’s time in Spain has been plagued by injury, with the forward player only making 66 appearances in total for Real Madrid since his big-money move (Transfermarkt). Despite that, he did secure his first ever Champions League winner’s medal earlier this year.
Walker meanwhile, has flourished in Manchester and continues to be one of the league’s best in his position. Whether Walker is the best Premier League right-back of all time is up for debate, but Hazard certainly didn’t like playing against the Englishman.
Hazard admitted (ESPN): “He’s strong. He’s fast. I am strong and fast. But he is stronger than me and he is faster than me. As a right-back, I think he is one of the best, at the moment.”
Spurs Web Opinion
We all know how good Kyle Walker is, but it’s easy to forget sometimes. As part of a star-studded Manchester City side, Walker is the kind of player who quietly goes about his business and does the dirty work at the back. He’s an exceptionally solid defender and it’s no surprise Hazard didn’t enjoy facing him.
At the time, the deal to sell Walker to City was probably a fair one, but we will always wonder what would have happened if he stayed. There’s no doubt that Spurs have never truly replaced Walker, but let’s hope Djed Spence can finally be the answer to that.
Have something to tell us about this article?
