Eden Hazard carved out a legendary status at Chelsea but became one of Real Madrid’s most disappointing signings. Interestingly, the Belgian forward had a chance to arrive in Spain much earlier than he eventually did.

According to a recent interview with Cadena SER, Bojan Krkić Sr., former scout and father of ex-Barcelona player Bojan Krkić, revealed that he had once scouted a young Hazard. However, his final report recommended against bringing the talented winger to Spain.

Krkić shared, “I first saw him at the U-17 European Championship, where my son was also playing. Belgium made it to the final, but Spain won. Hazard played brilliantly throughout the tournament—except for the final.”

After the tournament, Hazard joined Lille, and Krkić went to watch him in a match against Montpellier. “It was August, and while the rest of the team was warming up in shorts and T-shirts, Hazard came out last, in a tracksuit. The team was engaged in the warm-up, but he was barely moving, looking around the stands… He played well, but from a commitment and attitude standpoint, I didn’t like what I saw,” Krkić recalled.

A few days later, he observed Hazard again, this time in a cup match against Angers. “He was on the bench. When the coach told the substitutes to warm up, everyone was stretching and running, while he simply walked around, watching the game,” Krkić explained. “My report read ‘reject.’ Experience has shown that young, talented players with a careless attitude rarely deliver in the long term. I’ve seen it both as a teammate and as a scout at Barça. My report was as follows: top quality, technically and tactically; but due to attitude and character, with more detailed information, I advised against him.”

Krkić’s insights underline the importance of commitment and attitude in young players and may explain why Barcelona ultimately passed on Hazard.