LaLiga
Bellingham on the way to becoming a global star: “Everything is working out at the moment”
Real’s match winner against Barcelona: Jude Bellingham. photo
© Joan Monfort/AP/dpa
Jude Bellingham also decides the Clásico against Barcelona for Real Madrid. The ex-Dortmunder is developing at a rapid pace in Spain – and is astonishing even his coach.
Shortly before his next gala goal call Jude Bellingham with his loved ones. “I told my family that it was my turn to do something big in a Clásico. That’s what I did,” said the 20-year-old after the final whistle.
And how he did it! With his two goals, the former Dortmund Bundesliga professional spectacularly turned the prestigious league duel against FC Barcelona into a 2-1 scoreline in stoppage time. After just over four months in Madrid, Bellingham is well on his way to becoming the next world star for the Royals.
“Bellingham dominated the action where Messi, Cristiano, Ronaldo or Ronaldinho used to rule. Territory of the chosen ones,” wrote the Spanish newspaper “Marca” about the England international’s first Clásico appearance. Even Real coach Carlo Ancelotti was a little surprised by the whiz kid who brought his team back to the top of the table on matchday eleven: “Everyone is surprised by his level, especially by his efficiency in front of the goal. I think 20 to 25 He can easily score goals because he started very well.”
Already a leading player at 20 years old
That’s an understatement, because ten goals in ten league games and three more in three appearances in the Champions League are an outstanding record for a professional who isn’t even a real striker. He leads Real’s internal goalscoring list as well as that of La Liga. For comparison: In the previous season, the midfielder in the BVB jersey was only successful 14 times in a total of 42 matches. Dortmund received 103 million euros as a fixed transfer fee for Bellingham, and the German club also receives bonus payments up to a maximum total amount of around 30 percent of the fixed amount.
These sums “now seem like a small thing,” wrote the newspaper “As” and concluded: “Bellingham has established a new order in Madrid. At 20 years old, he has become the absolute leader of the team.” Once again, “Madrid made the right decision by signing him.” After Karim Benzema’s departure to Saudi Arabia, many people would have looked to Harry Kane in the summer, and nobody would miss Kylian Mbappé either. Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior should lead Real.
“He just always makes the difference”
“He’s incredible. He always makes the difference. He’s already used to it,” said Brazilian Vinícius Júnior about his new teammate. The 23-year-old is supposed to score the important goals for Real, but at the moment Bellingham is doing that. “I’m doing everything right now. I’m learning a lot from my teammates and the coaches. I just want to learn and improve,” he said. He was successful in Barcelona with a long-range shot from over 20 meters (68th minute) and a clever move in the penalty area (90th + 2). Afterwards, Madrid’s fans danced to the Beatles classic “Hey Jude”.
Ilkay Gündogan left the pitch disappointed. The German national team captain’s early opening goal in the sixth minute was not enough for Barcelona, and even goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen couldn’t prevent Bellingham’s show. In the first Clásico with four Germans on the pitch, two others hugged Bellingham to celebrate: Toni Kroos and Antonio Rüdiger. “Incredible victory,” Real defender Rüdiger wrote about a shared photo on Instagram after a Bellingham goal.