Watch: Electric dreams come true for Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard with Nissan
Like a match made at Monza, the air would have been supercharged with static when Real Madrid and Belgian football star Eden Hazard recently met with Nissan Formula E team driver Oliver Rowland at the Jarma Circuit in Spain.
While Hazard, a Nissan ambassador, loves the thrill of speed, Rowland is passionate about soccer and both were at the track for the same reason: To push Nissan’s high-performance electric cars to their head-spinning limits.
Electrifying Eden Hazard
Hazard, a star soccer player for Real Madrid C.F. and a Nissan global brand ambassador since 2018, took the wheel of the Nissan LEAF e+ under the expert tutelage of Nissan Formula E team driver Rowland.
Next, Hazard experienced the full power of the official UEFA Champions League Trophy carrier, the LEAF NISMO RC, capable of accelerating to 100km/h in a dizzying 3.4 seconds.
Hazard, 29, known for his speed and acceleration, plays as winger or attacking midfielder for Real Madrid. He is also the captain of Belgium’s national soccer team – currently Fifa’s highest-ranked team worldwide.
In action: Nissan LEAF e+, Hazard and Rowland
When he became a Nissan ambassador, Hazard expressed a wish to convert to electric mobility right away. The wish was granted as he drove his brand new, zero-emission Nissan LEAF e+ from the Caetano Reicomsa Nissan dealership in Madrid directly to the track, where he met up with Rowland.
On track
Rowland gave Hazard some tips about driving his new EV, before teaching him how to handle the track-only LEAF NISMO RC.
“I knew that electric vehicles can be fun to drive on the street – but wow, what a track experience!” Hazard said after the session. “I particularly enjoyed driving the Nissan LEAF NISMO RC. I love performance cars, and the instant acceleration this car produces is incredible.”
Said Rowland, “I’m a huge soccer fan, so it was a real thrill for me to meet one of the world’s best players. Eden did very well, and seeing the excitement on his face was priceless.”
Nissan revs up in Formula E
Nissan joined Formula E last season. The all-electric street racing series brings the excitement and performance of Nissan’s zero-emission EV technology to racing fans across the globe and allows the company to gain know-how that’s used to improve its electric road cars.
“Eden Hazard is a true high-performance athlete, and we jumped at the chance to give him firsthand experience with our latest EV technology,” said Tommaso Volpe, Nissan’s global motorsports director.
“There’s nothing like seat time to gain a true understanding of Nissan’s electric vehicles and what they’re capable of.”
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