Eden Hazard asked Luka Modric about taking his No.10 shirt at Real Madrid but the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner swiftly told him where to go.
The Belgium star was officially unveiled as Real's latest Galactico in front of 50,000 fans at the Santiago Bernabeu. He did so without a shirt number on his back, with Hazard revealing Modric's snub in a press conference.
"I've talked to Modric through [Mateo] Kovacic. I jokingly asked him if he could leave me No.10, he said no, I have to find another number," Hazard said on Thursday, as per Goal.
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"For me the number is not important, but to play with this shirt, with this badge."
The likes of Luis Figo, Ferenc Puskas, Michael Laudrup, Clarence Seedorf, Robinho, Wesley Sneijder and Mesut Ozil have all wore the No.10 at Real Madrid but it's not looking as though Hazard will be joining the class anytime soon.
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He is, however, widely expected to end up taking the iconic No.7 shirt - if official Real stores are anything to go by.
Mariano Diaz is currently Real Madrid's No.7 but could well be forced to budge in the same way Juan Cuadrado did when Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus last summer.
Hazard is keen to get going at Madrid but does not want to step on anyone's toes, specifically when it comes to penalties - currently taken by skipper Sergio Ramos.
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"When one plays for Real Madrid there is only one star, the team is the star," Hazard stressed.
"I arrive as a new player. At Chelsea I had been playing for seven years, here I came as the new player and I will try to contribute in everything possible.
"Regarding the penalties, I think the captain of the club shoots them very well. If they ask me to take them away... I do not think he's going to ask me, I think he'll keep scoring."
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football News, Belgium, Chelsea, Football, Croatia, Santiago Bernabeu, Premier League, Spain, Spanish football, Real Madrid, Luka Modric
