Thomas Meunier recalls his tense first interaction with Florentino Perez

Former PSG and current Borussia Dortmund fullback Thomas Meunier was recently interviewed where he recalled his first meeting with Real Madrid club president Florentino Perez after Eden Hazard’s injury during a 2020 Champions League group stage match.

“After the game, I’m in the hall and I see Florentino Perez,” explained Meunier. “I shake his hand and say ‘Nice to meet you.’

“And then he answers in French: ‘Nice to meet you? Do you realize you’ve hurt Eden Hazard? And you say to me, ‘Nice to meet you?!’”

“I said: ‘I hurt Eden Hazard? So it’s my fault he got hurt there?’ He said, ‘Yes, yes, it’s your fault!’ I said, ‘It’s a duel like any other’... I didn’t expect him to speak French, I didn’t know. And he’s still the president of Madrid, you see?”

It certainly isn’t likely Meunier meant to injure Hazard during the course of the match as the two are both teammates for Belgium. Meunier did apologize after the match and it was one of many injuries Hazard dealt with during the course of the 2020-21 season.

The duo will be playing on the same side of the pitch soon when their EURO 2021 group stage match against Russia kicks off in St. Petersburg this weekend.