Eden Hazard is set for another spell on the sidelines.
Real Madrid announced that the Belgian winger suffered a fractured right ankle during Saturday’s surprise loss to Levante, which rules him out of matches against Manchester City and Barcelona over the next week.
The 29-year-old could miss up to two months, club sources told Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez of ESPN.
“Following the tests carried out today on our player, Eden Hazard, by the Real Madrid medical department, he has been diagnosed with a fracture to his right distal fibula,” read a statement from the club. “His recovery will continue to be assessed.”
The big-money summer signing had just returned from a three-month absence after injuring his ankle in November. Saturday’s loss, which leaves Real Madrid two points adrift of Barcelona for the top spot in La Liga, was only Hazard’s second game back.
The former Chelsea star has made just 10 league appearances during his first year in the Spanish capital, scoring one goal.
Ed and Donna Kelce have slightly different versions of the epic fight between their sons Jason and Travis — the one that resulted in a shattered casserole dish and a shift in the dynamic between the highly competitive brothers.
Both agree it carried over from the basketball court to the kitchen. Jason, a center for the Philadelphia Eagles, was a 6-foot-3 senior in high school in 2006-07. Travis, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, was a sophomore who had finally grown taller than his big brother, sprouting to 6-5. Travis got the better of Jason that day — at last. Ed recalls Travis rubbing it in until Jason snapped, while Donna believes Jason raised Travis’ ire by cheating on the court to maintain the upper hand.
Relive the NFL’s greatest games, original series and more. Watch on ESPN+
No one disputes what happened next.
“They started fighting,” Donna said, “and [Travis] literally drove [Jason] into the floor in the kitchen, and the stove bounced off of the brackets.”
“I’ve got a casserole on the stove, dinner for the two of them. Couldn’t get them moving. Of course, I’m concerned about sharp corners on cabinets, heads cracking on that,” Ed said. “They’re tangled up, so I just grabbed them together, and just go down, and they fall down on top of me. I screamed, ‘Oh my god, my back!’ There was nothing wrong with me, it just hit me: What a great idea. Let’s change the whole dynamic here. And so now everybody’s worried about Dad. They’re not blaming each other, they’re trying to help me up, get me to a chair. And a few minutes later I managed to get up gingerly, walk around. It wasn’t for another half hour, when the casserole was supposed to be done, that I opened the stove and I said, ‘You’re getting pizza again tonight!'”
“I think that’s when both of them finally realized they were equals and that they couldn’t do this anymore,” Donna said. “That was the end of it. No one picked a fight with the other one after that. It was over.”
The years since have brought incredible success for the Kelce brothers. Jason is an All-Pro who has quietly built a compelling case for Hall of Fame consideration over his nine-year career. Travis, an All-Pro for the Super Bowl-winning Chiefs, is arguably the best tight end in the NFL.
They know how to dominate a parade as well. Jason’s emotional “Underdog” speech, delivered in a glistening green Mummers outfit from the “Rocky” steps in celebration of Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl victory after the 2017 season, became instant legend.
Ed Kelce says his sons, Jason and Travis, have always been involved in sports and have always had a flair for presentation with a competitive spirit. Courtesy of Ed Kelce
“And I’m sitting here and I’m thinking, ‘This is so fricking cool. I’ve got my two kids talking about Super Bowl experiences, and the older boy telling the younger boy how to deal with this and be the best you can be out there.’ A lot of people on this patio have got no clue as to what I’m listening to right there. That was just a really special moment to me.”
When the festivities in Miami were over, Donna flew back home, just as she had when Jason and the Eagles beat the New England Patriots to win it all in 2017. The way she sees it, the parades are a special time to be shared between the players and the fans.
But like many of us, she was fully entertained as her sons popped up on the television screen in fur coats and Mummers outfits alike, as was Ed, though he could have done without all the F-bombs.
“I laughed. They always make me laugh. They always have,” Donna said. “They’re just pure joy. They have a zest for life. They live it to its fullest, no holds barred.”
Pep Guardiola insisted his trust in Manchester City is unwavering as the club protests its two-year European ban and said he will only leave the back-to-back Premier League champions if he’s sacked.
City beat West Ham United 2-0 on Wednesday in their first match since being barred from continental competitions and fined €30 million for allegedly breaching UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations. The club is expected to lodge an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the coming days.
“It’s not finished. The club believes it’s unfair so we are going to appeal,” Guardiola told Sky Sports after the midweek win at the Etihad Stadium, as relayed by BBC Sport.
There were rumors that Guardiola would seek a new job after UEFA shut Manchester City out of the Champions League for two seasons, but the Spanish manager pledged his loyalty to the club in the post-match interview.
“If they don’t sack me I will stay here 100% more than ever,” he said. “First because I want to stay. It’s something special, more than the contract I have. I said before, I say now, I want to stay and help the club and maintain this level as long as possible.”
Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne scored in the professional win over West Ham. The final result could have been more one-sided, but Gabriel Jesus was guilty of missing easy chances and Sergio Aguero was denied a penalty when Angelo Ogbonna knocked him over in the area.
“We are going to fight like we have fought every single game and day we are together until the end of the season,” Guardiola said. “We are optimistic that at the end the truth will prevail and next season we will be in the Champions League.”
Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Colorado head-coaching job, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Bieniemy’s decision, as first reported by 9News in Denver, follows that of Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who also has dropped out of the search, sources told ESPN’s Chris Low on Thursday.
Bieniemy starred at running back for Colorado from 1987 to 1990 and finished his career as the school’s career rushing leader (3,940 yards). He had two assistant coaching stints with the Buffaloes following his NFL playing career.
1 Related
He has spent the past seven years with the Chiefs. Bieniemy drew interest from several NFL teams for head-coaching vacancies this offseason, but all went in different directions.
Colorado is looking to fill the vacancy after Mel Tucker left to take the Michigan State head-coaching job earlier this month.
Bret Bielema, the former Arkansas and Wisconsin coach, also has interviewed with Colorado officials for the job and is a prime candidate along with Air Force coach Troy Calhoun.
Darrin Chiaverini has been serving as interim head coach.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Mark Schlabach contributed to this report.
