Comparing Eden Hazard & Gareth Bale's first seasons at Real Madrid

We've all seen it. We all saw the Champions League semi-final, the unfit Eden Hazard collecting the ball, shimmying, then turning back. We all saw Real Madrid get knocked out of the European competition to Chelsea, the Belgian's former club.

We all saw Hazard then share a smile and a laugh with some ex-teammates, and unfortunately, that image was immortalised in picture form. And of course, we all saw the reaction of Josep Pedrerol, host of Spanish TV show El Chiringuito.

In this classic moment of TV history, Pedrerol accused Hazard of 'taking the piss out of Madrid,' for his lack of fight for the cause, and described the superstar as 'another Bale in our lives.'

This was of course, in reference to Tottenham Hotspur star Gareth Bale, who is now enjoying a year away from Spain and living it up in north London. The Welshman has become a lightning rod for insults and attacks over the past few years, and Madrid have done everything within their power to permanently chase him out of the Spanish capital.

That hasn't worked out as they planned, and although he is out of sight and out of mind for the time being, the issue will rear its ugly head when he swans back into the Spanish capital in July, golf club in hand.

Those comments got the world thinking, though, is Hazard really another Bale in Madrid's life? So, we decided to analyse Hazard and Bale's first seasons at the club, to see whether Los Blancos are 'unfortunate' enough to suffer such a fate.

Goals

Gareth Bale - 22

You simply cannot question Bale's goal contribution in his first season at Madrid. The forward was on fire from start to finish, scoring on his league debut against Villarreal and adding a further 21 to his tally in all competitions.

Bale ended the campaign with 15 league goals, six in the Champions League (including one very important header) and a solitary strike in the Copa del Rey (which also proved pretty vital). We'll come to those strikes later...

Eden Hazard - 1

As for Hazard, it was an incredibly disappointing goalscoring return for the Belgian. Having banged home 21 goals in all competitions for Chelsea in the 2018/19 season, Hazard offered just the one strike in all competitions for Madrid the following year.

The winger fired blanks in each and every Champions League appearance, and got his only goal of the campaign in a 4-2 victory over Granada. So, initial statistics suggest Hazard is not the second coming of Bale.

Assists

Gareth Bale - 19

If 22 goals for himself weren't enough, Bale provided 19 assists for his teammates in the 2013/14 campaign, taking his total goal contribution to 41 for the year. Not too shabby at all. The forward added a brace of assists to a brace of goals in an incredible 7-3 demolition of Sevilla in La Liga, and was a regular contributor throughout the season.

The numbers speak for themselves: Bale was a smash hit, delivering against all teams, big and small, and even on the most prestigious of occasions.

Eden Hazard - 7

Just the seven assists for Hazard in all competitions, then. He did provide the key goal in a 1-0 victory over Galatasaray in the Champions League, linking up excellently with Benzema to clinch the three points.

And in the latter stages of the season, he came up trumps with a couple more assists for teammates in vital wins on the way to reclaiming the Spanish title. Other than that, it was a poor season all round for the Belgian.

Key Contributions

Gareth Bale - Cup final decider

When you needed a goal in a big match, Bale was there. The former Spurs man was in the right place at the right time to head Madrid into the lead in extra-time of the 2014 Champions League final against Atletico Madrid, firing Los Merengues to glory over their bitter rivals.

He was also the star of the show in the Copa del Rey final, scoring a stunning solo strike in the dying minutes to earn a 2-1 victory over Barcelona, and write his name firmly into the club's history books. If only they weren't so keen to scrub away his triumphs...

Eden Hazard - Return to fitness for title run-in

From two cup final goals to a return to fitness. Hopes were still high for Hazard, even as the weeks ticked by and his injury issues continued to ravage him. But he showed glimpses of his former self in the final few matches, as Madrid chased the league title.

Hazard was able to lay on assists for Sergio Ramos and Benzema in consecutive matches, putting Los Merengues in control of the Liga title race. He featured in six of the final ten games of the campaign, helping his side reclaim the throne. Very much a team effort, though.

Highlight of the season

Gareth Bale - Solo goal in Copa del Rey final

It's tough having to choose between a clutch goal in a Champions League final and a brilliant winner in the Spanish Cup final, but we've gone for the latter, purely for its aesthetic glory. The minutes were evaporating in the Copa del Rey final, and Madrid were tied 1-1 with Barça.

Then, Bale took matters into his own hands. He picked up the ball inside his own half, and booted it down the left flank before giving chase. His trajectory and pace took him off the field, but he returned to pip Marc Bartra to the ball, cut inside and squeeze a shot home. One of the great cup final goals.

Eden Hazard - Man of the match performance against Granada

Yeah, this doesn't really stand up to comparison, does it? Hazard had very few highlights during his maiden campaign in Spain, but one was most definitely the 4-2 win over Granada on Matchday 8.

The former Chelsea star scored a lovely goal, racing onto a through ball to dink a cheeky chip over the goalkeeper, and even assisted Luka Modric's thunderbolt from outside the box. A good day, and one which gave everyone a lot of false optimism.

Injury Record

Gareth Bale - Games missed: 13

Bale arrived in Madrid with a slight knock, having not featured in any of Tottenham's first three games of the campaign, before making the £80m move to Madrid. Over the entire season, the Wales international was left out of 13 matchday squads across all competitions.

According to Transfermarkt, Bale racked up 3,329 minutes of action in 2013/14, making him a consistent presence in the Madrid side.

Eden Hazard - Games missed: 26

Finally, Hazard is the winner! Though it's hardly a massive dub.

The winger was absent from 26 matchday squads across all competitions in the 2019/20 campaign, missing the majority with a recurring ankle injury.

Compared to Bale's 3,329 minutes of football, Hazard managed only 1,545 - less than half of what his fellow exile achieved. It's not his fault of course, but it only adds to the frustration which surrounds his £100m move to the Bernabeu.

Another Bale?

No.

Let's face it, Bale gets so much disrespect from Madrid fans and Spanish media it's frankly absurd. Comparisons between the Welshman and Hazard only demonstrate how much of an agenda they hold against him.

The relationship between player and club broke down severely, and neither party is free from guilt for the part they played in that collapse. But Hazard should be flattered to have received such comparisons, and Bale should be insulted.

Another Bale? You wish, Madridistas.