Hazard admits to letting himself go after signing for Real: 'I gained 5 kilos'

Healthy eating habits are the last thing on Eden Hazard's mind when he's on vacation.

The Belgian superstar appeared to be a little heavier than normal when he was unveiled as Real Madrid's newest player last summer.

He admitted to letting himself go while he was on holiday after the Spanish side paid a club-record €100 million to sign him from Chelsea, but insisted it wouldn't be a long-term problem.

"It's true, I cannot lie, if I'm on holiday, then I'm on holiday," Hazard told Belgian magazine Sport/Foot, as translated by Reuters.

"I put on five kilos (11 pounds) in the summer. I’m one of those people who puts on weight very quickly then loses it very quickly.

"When I was at Lille I weighed 72 kilos but then I gained muscle and went to 75 kilos. On a bad day I can weigh 77. In the summer I went up to 80 kilos but I lost it again 10 days later."

The 29-year-old's apparent struggle to maintain a lean physique was on display prior to his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu, as former Chelsea teammate David Luiz poked fun at his belly fat following the team's Europa League triumph in May.

Hazard kicked off the 2019-20 campaign on the sideline with a hamstring injury and was in poor form during his first few matches at Real Madrid before scoring his first goal in October.

He is currently sidelined with another injury after suffering a fracture in his ankle at the start of December.