Jude Bellingham is undeniably one of the biggest, if not the biggest, superstars in European football currently. The stellar 20-year-old midfielder has taken over the biggest of names in football history, Real Madrid, and has made the Bernabeu his playground.
With 16 goals so far in the league, leading the scoring charts as Real tops the table as well, Bellingham’s impact has been unprecedented. The midfielder moved to Madrid in a £115m move from Borussia Dortmund last year and has starred since taking on Zinedine Zidane’s legendary No.5 shirt at the club.
His exploits have garnered not just the attention of all fans, but greats alike too, as Arsenal legend Thierry Henry applauded the young Englishman for his wondrous debut season so far.
“This guy right now (Jude Bellingham)…yeah, take a bow. I’m not a Real Madrid guy, like we all know. But, I saw him play for England, his first game against San Marino, he wanted every single ball. Whenever I see him, he doesn’t shy away. He wants the ball,” said Henry.
“This is why you have to give a lot of credit to managers. The system that Ancelotti put for him, 4-3-1-2, he answered the call. That’s going to be your team with Vinicius Junior.”
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As one of the most acclaimed strikers of all time, Henry has had his fair share of experience in world football, especially across Europe. And it was with the knowledge he possessed of the same, that Henry went on the expound on the significantly difficult nature of Spanish football with regards to the pressure that a player feels there, and went on to applaud Bellingham for not just coping but thriving under the spotlight.
“I had the opportunity to play in a lot of leagues. I played in France, I played in Italy, then I went to the US, and I played in Spain. Footballers have it easy in England. The pressure that you have to endure in Spain, this is what makes him even more special,” added Henry.
“You have a show every night about Real Madrid or Barcelona. Papers, 6 to 7 pages in Marca about Real Madrid. The pressure, the press, the expectation. And then you take the number five of Zinedine Zidane, and when you celebrate, you’re like this? (open wide arms in a gesture of grandeur) Oh, well done, mate.”
Up next for Real Madrid is the 2nd leg of their round of 16 clash against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League, set to take place on March 6.
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