'They're things that I can't explain': Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane at a loss to explain Eden Hazard's latest injury


Steve Luckings
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Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane was at a loss to explain Eden Hazard's latest injury setback that is set to rule him out of Tuesday's match against Atalanta.

The Belgian international joined Real in a €150 million ($178.83 million) deal in 2019 but his time at the Bernabeu has been blighted by injuries, making 25 La Liga appearances since signing.

Hazard returned to action as a second-half substitute in Saturday's last-gasp La Liga win over Elche after recovering from a muscle problem, playing the final 15 minutes.

Zidane said Hazard will miss Tuesday's Champions League home last-16 second leg with Atalanta and cannot put a timeframe on his return.

"He won't be fit. We'll release a statement but I can't say any more than that," Zidane told a news conference.

"They're things that I can't explain. I want to be positive and hope that it's not too much of a problem.

"Something's up, because he was never injured in his entire career [before joining Real] or there were very few injuries. It's something new. I can't really give any more of an explanation. We want to help him and hope he's back as soon as possible.

"We're going to try and figure out why it's happening [the club's injuries], but right now we can't explain it. We've spoken about things like the lack of pre-season, amount of games and the mental aspect."

Hazard, 30, joins Casemiro on the sidelines for the Atalanta game, with the Brazilian suspended after picking up a booking in the first leg, however captain Sergio Ramos is fit and likely to start.

Real won last month's first leg 1-0 in Bergamo thanks to a late Ferland Mendy strike.

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

Red flags
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  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

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F1 The Movie

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War 2

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The specs
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ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand

UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
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May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final

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Stree

Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
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ACL Elite (West) - fixtures

Monday, Sept 30

Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
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Sunday
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Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Airev
Started: September 2023
Founder: Muhammad Khalid
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Generative AI
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47