Sports

Hazard wants to be a ‘Galactico’ at Real

Published

5 years ago

June 15, 2019

Eric

Eden Hazard said on Thursday he wants to become a ‘Galactico’ at Real Madrid and believes he is joining the club at the perfect moment in his career.

Hazard was unveiled in front of around 50,000 fans at the Santiagio Bernabeu after the Belgian’s long-awaited move from Chelsea was confirmed last week.

“I’m not a galactico, not yet, but I hope I will be one day,” Hazard said in a press conference afterwards.

“Despite everything I’ve done in the past, it will be like starting again from zero. I’m not a galactico, I’m Eden Hazard, just a very good player.” Madrid will pay Chelsea an initial 100 million euros for Hazard, with another 45 million due in potential add-ons for the 28-year-old, who has signed a five-year contract with his new club.

Hazard admitted Madrid made a move for him after the World Cup last year but insisted this was the right time to leave Chelsea.

“I don’t think it is too late, I am 28 years old, the best moment for a player,” Hazard said.

“I have had various phases of my career, at Lille and Chelsea, and now I felt the time was right to join the best club in the world.” Madrid struggled without Cristiano Ronaldo last season and Hazard will be tasked with helping to fill the void.

Despite the arrivals of Eder Militao, Luka Jovic and Ferland Mendy this summer, he is the first statement signing since Zinedine Zidane was reappointed in March.

“When you play for a team like Real Madrid there is not one single star, the team is the star,” Hazard said.

“I have been at Chelsea for seven years, but now I am the new guy in the team and I will try to contribute as much as possible.”

Asked if he wanted to become the best player in the world at Real Madrid, Hazard said: “I will try but first I will try to be in the best team in the world.

“It is a different level. I had a lot of success with Chelsea and I want to win a lot with Madrid as well.”

Hazard admitted Zidane was also a key factor in his decision.

“Everyone knows Zidane was my idol growing up,” he said. “That he is the coach has been an important factor but not the only one. I already wanted to play here.

“I was a kid playing football in the garden with my brothers when I began to be a Real Madrid fan.

“Then I went to France, then to England, but being a Real Madrid player, wearing this shirt, it is an honour. I can’t wait for the season to start.”

The shirt Hazard wore in front of the fans came without a number and he admitted he had told Mateo Kovacic at Chelsea to ask his fellow Croatian, Luka Modric, about the number 10.

“I have been able to talk to Modric through Kovacic and I was joking when I asked him to lend me the number 10,” Hazard said.

“He said no, so I’ll have to find another number.”

Sports

PSG Bundle Barcelona Out of Champions League

Published

3 days ago

April 17, 2024

Eric

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have kicked 10-man Barcelona out of the Champions League as they qualified for the semi-final after winning 4-1 at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona had won the first leg 3-2 in Paris, but PSG won 6-4 on aggregate to qualify for the semi-finals.

Kylian Mbappe grabbed a brace in the encounter to see PSG through.

A Superb work from Lamine Yamal squared the ball to Raphinha, who beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a brilliant shot into the bottom right corner to give Barcelona a 12th minute lead.

In the 29th minute, Ronald Araujo made an ugly tackle on his opponent and was sent off by the referee leaving the homers with 10 men to play the entire duration.

PSG capitalised on their advantage and equalised in the 40th minute. A former Barcelona player, Ousmane Dembele equalised for the visitors.

Bradley Barcola played the ball to Dembele, who showed great determination to get to the ball before a couple of defenders and from inside the box he shot into the top right corner of the net to make it 1-1.

PSG made it 1-2 in the 54th minute from a fantastic finish by Vitinha from just outside the box. He wasted little time in getting away a bullet of a shot that flew past the goalkeeper into the bottom left corner of the net.

Mbappe added another goal for PSG from the penalty spot in the 61st minute. He put the ball into the top left corner past the outstretched arm of Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

A minute to duration time, PSG made it 1-4. Mbappe fired the rebound into the bottom right corner after the ball broke to him in the box.

Sports

IGP Salutes Exceptional Performances of Police Athletes at 2023 African Games

Published

1 week ago

April 11, 2024

Eric

The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D, NPM, has commended the exceptional performances of the Police Athletes who distinguished themselves, as Nigeria’s ambassadors at the recently concluded 13th African Games in Accra, Ghana.

The IGP notes that their remarkable performances across various sporting events have brought immense pride to the Force and the country at large.

While receiving the athletes, the IGP, who was represented by the Force Director of Sports (FSO), CP Patrick A. Atayero, likened the African Games to a continental Olympics, and harped on the significance of young and talented Police Sports Men and Women showcasing their skills, passion, determination and courage on such a prestigious stage to emerge Medalists. He emphasized that the success of Police Athletes at the 13th African Games which held from 8th to 26th March, 2024, shortly after the 14th Biennial Police Games (Oluyole 2024) that concluded on 2nd March in Ibadan, is a veritable testament to the effectiveness of the sports development initiatives of the Force.

The medalists – Inspr. Aisha Adamu, Sgt. Mohammed Inuwa, Sgt. Emmanuel Bala, Sgt. Matthew Deshi, Corporal Chika Blessing, Corporal Nathaniel Samson, Corporal Victor Ikechukwu, Corporal Eweh Emmanuel, Corporal Collins Obi, Corporal Godwin Sunday, Corporal Emmanuel Ochayi, Corporal Aminu Garba, PC Olayiwola Zainab, PC Mabel David, PC Precious Joel, PC Esther Peter, and Bello Tunde Muiz (Education Officer II), demonstrated exceptional dexterity in Arm wrestling, Athletics, Badminton, Mixed Martial Arts, Swimming and Hockey. These Police Athletes garnered 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 5 Bronze totalling 8 Medals, for Nigeria at the Continental Sports Fiesta.

The Inspector General of Police appreciates all Police Athletes for their dedication, hard work, and commitment to sporting excellence, national unity and development in all spheres in Nigeria. He reiterates that their collective success serves as an inspiration to other Police Officers and fellow aspiring Athletes and inestimable potentials across the nation.

Sports

Super Falcons Draw Goalless with South Africa, Quality for Paris Olympics

Published

1 week ago

April 9, 2024

Eric

Nigeria’s female national football team, Super Falcons have qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Nigeria beat South Africa 1-0 on aggregate to reach the Summer Olympics.

Rasheedat Ajibade scored from the spot in the first leg of the qualifiers in Abuja on Friday.

That goal was enough for the Super Falcons to pick one of Africa’s tickets for the women’s football event of the Paris Olympics as the second leg tie ended goaless in South Africa.

The last time Nigeria’s Super Falcons reached the Olympics was 16 years ago.