Eden Hazard has revealed it is his dream to play under his idol Zinedine Zidane having joined Real Madrid in a £130million move from Chelsea this summer.
Zidane departed after winning a third straight Champions League title in 2018 in Kiev against Liverpool, but made a return after failed appointments of Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari.
For Hazard, the Frenchman has been his hero since he was young and to play under him is close to a dream.
"For anyone in football, Zidane is a role model," the Belgian explained to Real Madrid TV.
"He excited everyone when he played. When I was a kid, I loved him, I watched his games and wanted to watch Zidane do whatever he did, I loved everything about him," he said.
"After he retired, I didn't think that he'd go into management so soon. However, the way things have turned out, he has ended up here and so have I."
"Having my idol as my manager means that learning things from him makes me happy. He's honest and talks to you when he needs to, he was a player himself and knows what us players need."
The Belgian attacker had long flirted with a switch to the Spanish giants but Chelsea were reluctant to lose their prized asset.
Hazard dropped several hints he was departing after he was made to stay in west London for the 2018-19 campaign, in which he played a key role in the club going on to win the Europa League final in Baku.
"I spoke to Florentino Perez and he told me that he expected to see me in Madrid," Hazard explained to Real Madrid TV.
"After I spoke with Luka Modric and I felt that everyone wanted to see me at Real Madrid."
"I'd already made my mind up after the World Cup and I said to myself: 'I have to join Real Madrid now.'"