5 bold predictions for 2018

Real Madrid v Sevilla - La Liga — Cristiano Ronaldo won his fifth Ballon d'Or in 2017

#4 Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, Gareth Bale back to Premier League

Chelsea v Manchester United - Premier League — Eden Hazard is arguably the best winger in the Premier League

Eden Hazard has been one of the best wingers in the Premier League, if not the best, since his arrival at Chelsea in 2012. The Belgian international played a crucial role in his side's two league wins in 2015 and 2017. The player is also a regular for the Belgium national team, even captaining the team in the UEFA Euro 2016 in the absence of Vincent Kompany.

Hazard has scored 80 goals and assisted 69 in his 270 games for Chelsea. In his 82 performances for Belgium, the 26-year-old has found the net 21 times and paved the way for 22 goals.

The former LOSC Lille player has been on 12 time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid's radar for quite some time. The Los Blancos are said to be big admirers of the ambidextrous player and 2018 could be the year where they wrap up a deal for him.

Eden Hazard: Of the 56 players to attempt 50+ dribbles in Europe's top 5 leagues this season, Hazard has the best dribble success rate (80%)Using the same parameters, brother Thorgan Hazard has the worst dribble success rate (28.6%) in Europe's top 5 leagues this season pic.twitter.com/NtRGs2e9pQ
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) December 13, 2017

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The deal could see Real Madrid breaking their club transfer record of €100 million that they paid for Gareth Bale and could also signal the end of the end of the Welshman's tenure in Spain.

While Hazard will be moving to Spain from England, Bale could be doing the opposite. The 28-year-old could join his former club Tottenham Hotspurs or Jose Mourinho's Manchester United or even be the replacement for Hazard at Chelsea.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith