Hazard admits weighty issue

REAL Madrid forward Eden Hazard has admitted to letting himself go while on holiday and piling on the pounds after signing for the Spanish giants in the close season last year.

The Belgium international, who after years of flirtation finally signed for Real from Chelsea for a joint-club record €100-million in June, raised eyebrows when he reported for preseason training packing some extra weight.

“It’s true, I cannot lie, if I’m on holiday, then I’m on holiday,” Hazard said.

“I put on five kilos in the summer. I’m one of those people who puts on weight very quickly then loses it very quickly.

“When I was at Lille I weighed 72kg but then I gained muscle and went to 75. On a bad day I can weigh 77. In the summer I went up to 80 but I lost it again 10 days later.”

Perhaps set back by his extra weight, Hazard, 28, made a slow start to his Real career and did not score his first goal until a 4-2 win over Granada in October.

He began to hit form soon after but has been out of action since injuring his ankle in a 2-2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on November 26.

Meanwhile, Real midfielder Federico Valverde has been handed a one-game suspension for his professional foul on Alvaro Morata which proved crucial in winning the Spanish Super Cup over Atletico Madrid last Sunday.

The Uruguay international, 21, chased down Morata as the striker raced towards goal late in extratime in the final of the revamped competition in Saudi Arabia and executed a two-footed lunge on him to halt the play.

The game finished goalless but Real comfortably won the penalty shoot-out 4-1 to lift the trophy, and Atletico coach Diego Simeone described Valverde’s moment of sacrifice as “the most important moment of the match”.

The referee’s report said Valverde had been shown a straight red card for denying a clear goalscoring chance but a statement from the Spanish soccer federation said he would only serve a one-game ban.