Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard has said he is not affected by criticism but admitted he can produce much better performances for the club.
Hazard missed the first three La Liga games through injury but since his return, he has failed to demonstrate the form that made Madrid spend an initial £88.5 million to sign him from Chelsea in the summer.
The forward said he is back to full fitness and asked for patience as he attempts to get back to his best.
"I feel good and strong," he told a news conference ahead of Real Madrid's Champions League match against Club Brugge on Tuesday. "It's true that people expect a lot from me and so do I. I can do better. I'm critical of myself and I'm working every day to achieve great things because we have a great squad.
"We're top of the league. Right now, I'm 100% fit and I hope to give my best in the upcoming matches.
"Like I said in my first press conference, I'm still not a galactico, I have to be the one to prove that I can become one.
"We all know the last No. 7 at this club and I have to be the one who proves I can be the best in the world, to enjoy myself and give my all not just in matches but training too. I don't doubt myself, I'm confident. Right now, I'm only lacking the goals and being more decisive. Football is all about confidence."
Hazard was unable to prevent Madrid losing 3-0 against Paris Saint-Germain in their opening Champions League game but he hopes his home debut in the competition can be better.
"I can see my debut consisting of lots of goals and an important victory," he added.
"It's not going to be an easy match, it'll be tough. After losing in Paris, we have no choice but to win tomorrow. "Brugge are a great team, top of their league and doing a great job.
"They have quality players. Having [Simon] Mignolet is a great reference. They are going to try to win the match. Don't think that it will be an easy match because it's a Belgian team."
Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane defended Hazard and pointed out that he experienced difficulties adapting to Italian football when he signed for Juventus in 1996.
"The same thing happened to me," he told a news conference. "I'm relaxed, I knew it was going to take time for him to adapt and it was worse when I moved to Italy because it took me three months, but less in Madrid.
"Hazard is the same, I know that he's going to succeed here and the most important thing is to calmly accompany him and we'll definitely see an improvement.
"I'm not going to give him any advice on how to play or where he has to be. We know him as a player, he's important for us and we love Eden. It's good that he's not going to change. I'm not worried because I know he'll be very good and we have to be patient with new players."
Comments
Post a Comment