Hazard: ‘I was a Milan fan’, ‘special’ relationship with Sarri, but Mourinho the best

Former Belgian star Eden Hazard reveals he was a Milan fan as a kid and says he had a ‘special’ relationship with Maurizio Sarri, although José Mourinho was the best coach he had.

Hazard released an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport while presenting a line of wines he has produced in partnership with an Italian entrepreneur.

Hazard, a former Chelsea and Real Madrid star, revealed that he hopes to see Cesc Fabregas on the Blues’ bench soon, and then went on to discuss his bond with Italian football.

Hazard never played in Serie A, but worked with Italian coaches Sarri, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte at Chelsea.

The former winger confirmed that he was never close to moving to Serie A during his playing career.

“To be honest, no. Moratti paid me many compliments, but I had always dreamed of playing in the Premier League and at Real Madrid, and fortunately, I managed to do that,” he said.

“Then I’ll reveal a secret. As a child, I supported Milan, and a few hours ago I supported Galliani. He said he could see me fitting well into Berlusconi’s Milan, but they never made a move either.”

When Sarri was at Chelsea, he advised Hazard to follow the same lifestyle as Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Yes, but I didn’t want to. I never went overboard, but I always wanted to be Hazard on and off the pitch,” said the ex-winger.

“My friends invited me out for dinner, and I didn’t hold back. If I felt like having a glass of wine, I didn’t deny myself. Cristiano is Cristiano, I am Hazard. I just wanted to be myself and play football.

“I developed a special relationship with Sarri. I think his idea of football is very close to mine. Every now and then, I told him that his training sessions were boring. It was not a criticism, also because the results proved him right, and the same is true for Conte. Antonio was incredible; he made us do an endless number of repetitions.”

Hazard, however, admitted that the best coach he had did not come from the Peninsula.

“He’s not Italian, but you know him well. Mourinho, an extraordinary communicator. The way he thinks and conveys his ideas is amazing.”

Now his Belgian compatriot Kevin De Bruyne is playing in Serie A at Napoli. What does Hazard make of Italy’s top division?

“I used to watch Serie A much more; I didn’t want to miss the likes of Mertens or Nainggolan. Now a bit less, but I’m curious to see Kevin again when he returns from injury,” he concluded.

“With Conte, they can have fun, but over the last five years, Inter have shown that they are the strongest team in Italy.”