Jude Bellingham bagged a brace today, as Real Madrid crushed Osasuna 4-0. Arguably the signing of the summer, in all of world football, the former Borussia Dortmund man has been the Los Blancos MVP thus far. He now has 10 goals in his first 10 games, matching a feat set by the club’s all-time leading scorer: Cristiano Ronaldo.
Not bad for a player who is not a center-forward, but an attacking midfielder. Madrid had temporarily fallen out of first place this season, following their defeat to Atletico in the Madrid derby two weeks ago, but have since supplanted Girona (who they beat 3-0 last weekend) at the top of the table.
Bellingham is getting it done, over and over, in the attack, and that has really impressed his position group mate, Vinicius Junior. “(Bellingham) was born to play for Real Madrid, to mark an era at the biggest club in the world,” Vini said to the club’s in house media.
“Let’s hope (our link-up) lasts for many years, that we play here together for a long time.
“I’m delighted to play with Jude, one of the best players right now, at his age. We’re all happy and the fans are enjoying it.”
The stellar Brazilian forward is absolutely right. Bellingham is in totally elite form right now.
The English international and former Birmingham City man was wanted by all the big boys of world football, including the big six in England, last year. Madrid have to feel really good about winning that transfer derby, and manager Carlo Ancelotti extolled the player’s virtues.
“(Bellingham) plays on the outside, on the inside, he drops deep, he’s very dynamic. We’re lucky to have signed a spectacular player,” the Italian boss said, hailing the players versatility.
“Whether he’s the best (in the world right now) or not doesn’t matter. We signed him and we’re happy about that.”
Ancelotti also added:
“Bellingham is giving us a lot of possibilities up front,” coach Carlo Ancelotti said in his postmatch news conference.
“He’s involved in the play, and not having a fixed position gives him an advantage. It’s been a surprising start to the season. Nobody expected this level in terms of goals.”
Real Madrid are now off for international break, sitting first place in La Liga. They will visit Sevilla two weeks from today.
The week after that comes the first Clasico of the season. With Barcelona currently sitting sitting second, it will be a massive affair; per usual.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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