Thorgan Hazard: “It’s time for me to win titles”

Borussia Dortmund won the DFL Supercup without the injured Thorgan Hazard. The former Gladbach player has his eyes on greater prizes and explains his move to the Westfalenstadion.

“For me, it’s slowly but surely time to win titles,” the Belgian told Sport Bild. “Of course, I can feel the heightened pressure and increased international interest in the first few weeks. It’s also a bigger competition [within the squad] than in Gladbach. I needed to make this change in order to pursue the next step in my career. BVB being upfront about wanting to win the championship certainly helps in that regard.”

Consistency a must

The 26-year-old arrives in Dortmund with impressive stats on his CV. Just in his last season, he scored 25 goals in 35 games in all competitions. The overall stats, however, do not reflect the reciprocal output between the amazing first half and meek the second half of the previous campaign. “Hardly anyone of [Gladbach’s players] played as well as before the winter break. I wanted to leave the club with the Champions League qualification,” Hazard said.

Though, Gladbach’s hope to qualify in the Top 4 died on the final Matchday against Dortmund. Parts of the home crowd even booed the attacker while he was subbed out.

Wear it like a batch of honour

“If the fans had been glad about my transfer, I would have not performed well in the years before,” Hazard explained, adding: “I see their anger as a form of appreciation for my efforts. However, I refute the assertion that I didn’t fight for Gladbach because of a looming transfer to Dortmund. The team and the coach know that.”

BVB signed the Belgian international for €25.5m, who otherwise had one year left on his Gladbach deal.