Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti deserves credit for the way Jude Bellingham arrived on the pitch in the Spanish capital; Ahead of his first Clásico against Barcelona on Saturday, the Italian gave him the keys to the Santiago Bernabeu, Ben Grounds writes.
High in northern Portugal, in the sanctuary of Bom Jesus, the star of the modern game lit up on a cold, rainy night.
Carved into a granite hillside, Braga’s Municipal Stadium hosted a football celebration this week.
Two platforms are linked together by steel strings with the Cafardo River Valley next to an old quarry and a cliff face completing a unique backdrop. It is quite remarkable to think that this UNESCO World Heritage Site is man-made, but on Tuesday it saw the Stourbridge Steel, a divine intervention that has become all too familiar.
On a night of tribute to the late Bobby Charlton in Manchester, some 870 miles away, Jude Bellingham continued to show why he is the brightest English talent dreaming of following in the great man’s footsteps.
After collecting the ball from Vinicius Junior, Bellingham curled an easy shot inside the far post. Another goal. Another win for Real Madrid.
Bellingham has not been without a back-to-back this season, scoring his 11th goal in 12 games to help the 14-time European champions win away from home and extend their lead in Champions League Group C. Only Serho Guirassi (15) and Lautaro Martinez (12) have scored more goals for one of the top five teams in the Europa League this season.
He became the second player to score in his first three Champions League matches for Real Madrid after Christian Karembeu in 1998. But this is the second season in a row in which he has scored in each of the first three matches, having done the same for Dortmund in 1998. .2022.
Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett and Nick Wright reflect on Jodie Bellingham’s stunning impact in England’s win over Italy that secured their place at Euro 2024.
Still only 20, Bellingham – who joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in the summer for £88.5m – will likely have three more World Cups to emulate for the boys of ’66 – but for now, he has his eyes set on his first Classico.
With his brand celebrated already emulated by those attending the Santiago Bernabéu, Bellingham could further appeal to the crowd. Madridista On Saturday when Real Madrid takes on Barcelona in its temporary home stadium at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
He’s eccentric, joking, and brings joy atop the Don Carlo diamond as No. 10.
Gareth Southgate singled out Jude Bellingham for praise after the midfielder produced an inspiring performance against Italy
In a recent column for Sky, Paul Merson wrote: “Football is about decision-making. At the moment, a 28- or 29-year-old is taking decisions and getting them right.”
“It’s very difficult to explain what he does. He’s years ahead of his time.”
But while Bellingham may prove to be England’s X-Factor for years to come, it has always been about the here and now at Real Madrid – and for that reason, manager Carlo Ancelotti deserves credit for how the player gets to the ground.
Harry Maguire remains a fan of Jodi Bellingham, following the Real Madrid midfielder’s impressive display against Italy
The Italian has given Bellingham the keys to the Spanish capital – but admitted he was amazed at his ability after the midfielder’s match-winning display against Napoli earlier this month.
“The surprising thing about Bellingham is that he is only 20 years old. He looks like he is 30,” Ancelotti said. “For his personality, he is always focused on the game, he knows what he has to do, which is rare for a 20-year-old player.”
“Then you have all his potential, his physical strength and his skills. It’s surprising, we’re all a bit surprised.”
Ancelotti’s career has been blessed with an incredible array of attacking talent. He has worked with Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. At Milan, Kaká spoiled him, and he later took James Rodriguez to Everton after his previous spells.
They are all capable of deciding close contests by manipulating the ball in tight spaces. After taking those careers to the next level, Bellingham is in good hands to do exactly the same. What we are witnessing on the pitch is a product of how seamlessly his prodigy manager has integrated himself into his new surroundings off the pitch.
A sign of Ancelotti’s influence has already been seen in the way he used Gareth Southgate in the recent European qualifier against Italy. It was James Maddison – the most influential player in the Premier League this season – who was missing from the starting line-up.
Carlo Ancelotti has been surprised by Jodi Bellingham since joining Real Madrid, saying he has the personality of a 30-year-old to go along with his quality, strength and incredible skill.
Perhaps the biggest compliment Ancelotti has paid Bellingham is the way he has completely restructured his squad to meet his needs. He simultaneously replaces Karim Benzema’s goals while ironing out any noticeable cracks in the development from the Kroos-Modrić axis.
Aurelien Chouamini and Eduardo Camavinga remain very exciting prospects, and while they have had much longer to adapt to the limelight, it is ‘Billy’ – as he is known in the dressing room – who has made Madrid’s midfield his home turf.
And in earlier times, when British exports made the same journey, think of Gareth Bale and David Beckham, it would have come later in their careers.
Neither Beckham nor Bale, despite the latter’s highly ornate residence, left with the feeling that it had ever been so they a team. Not as much as this Real has become synonymous with Bellingham. He is already building on the basic level of Spanish he has arrived with.
“Oh, now comes the hard part,” he joked in the mixed zone after scoring his first goal in Real Madrid colors against Manchester United in a pre-season win in Houston.
Wearing the number 5 shirt – previously worn by Zinedine Zidane – if there was any extra pressure, you wouldn’t know it.
“My greatest asset is that I can do a little bit of everything,” Bellingham said at its unveiling. “This is my best strength and allows me to play in different positions on the pitch.”
That’s why he wore number 22 at Birmingham, as he did with Dortmund and with England in Qatar. In an interview with talkSPORTFormer youth coach Mike Dodds said: “He was about 13 or 14 and, like most boys that age, they want to be a No.10.
“And I remember we sat down with him and said, ‘We think you’re doing yourself a disservice, and we think you can do it all.’ So we came up with the idea of ‘We think you can be a 22-year-old.’”
At 4, 8 and 10 are all combined into one. The midfielder who has his shirt retired at Birmingham and whose purple patch in front of goal shows no signs of going away.
Barcelona coach Xavi would like nothing better than to celebrate his second anniversary in charge with a win over the club’s top rivals, but his pre-match press conference will be dominated by questions about how he plans to stop one man.
Earlier this year, HS2 – the high-speed rail route currently under construction between London and Birmingham – unveiled designs for a new 150m-long Birmingham Bridge named after Billingham.
Ancelotti allayed fitness concerns over his key bridge to more silverware after Bellingham’s late withdrawal from Braga, saying: “He felt a little bit of a load on the kidnappers. The pitch was soft but nothing special.”
Unlike the runaway Real Madrid train.
Barcelona will host Real Madrid in the Spanish League on Saturday. Kick-off is at 3.15pm
