It seemed Spain's capital city would be devoid of worthy royalty after the departure of French 'king' Karim Benzema in July this year for Saudi Pro Leauge giants Al Ittihad, after Real Madrid suffered during his injury difficulties last season, a script many believed would be replayed this term.
A Clasico Debut To Remember
One after the other, in the first El Clasico of this season, Carlo Ancelotti and Xavi Hernandez trotted out to the home and away dugouts of the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, the ground Barcelona are using during the Camp Nou's renovation, to speak to the media. The Italian is arguably one of the sport's greatest-ever managers, while his Spanish counterpart is in the conversation for being one of the Beautiful Game's best-ever midfielders, so they both possess a pedigree that suggests they've seen and done some amazing things on a football pitch. However, even they must've felt like they had witnessed something remarkably special when they spoke to reporters after the encounter. The questions from the Spanish media reflected that as they all had the same relenting and disbelieving theme – Jude Bellingham. The England international had, for the umpteenth time this campaign, been the decisive player for Los Merengues in a LALIGA match. Up until that point, he had enjoyed a prolific start to the Spanish top-flight campaign, but his goals in the 68th and 92nd minute against Real Madrid's eternal rivals had officially etched his name into the club's illustrious folklore. It meant that the 20-year-old took his tally for the season to 13 goals in all competitions in what was yet another expectation-defying performance, perhaps not for his overall display but for the significant moments he was able to produce.
Shooting The Lights Out In Spain
By the time the 2022/23 campaign came to its conclusion, it had been four years since Florentino Perez anointed a new Galactico. Eden Hazard was the club's record signing in 2019, but by the aforementioned off-season, he was an afterthought to Ancelotti. The Belgian said farewell to the club later in the window after agreeing to terminate his deal earlier than expected, but before that, Real broke the bank for Bellingham, luring him to the Spanish capital from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth €103 million (R2 billion). An exorbitant figure, but judging by his performances in Germany, many presumed the fee was more a reflection of his potential than what he could give Real right away. He had some brilliant moments for BVB in the UEFA Champions League and had almost won the Bundesliga title in his final campaign there, but few expected the playmaker to immediately play with the same maturity he did in Germany. Further question marks about his integration into the Los Blancos set-up were raised when Ancelotti revealed the club had no plans to sign a striker and that the ex-Birmingham City wonderkid would be the one assuming the role of succeeding their outgoing captain Karim Benzema, comments he made after the player's impressive start in Spain.
Birmingham Knew All Along…
What was supposed to be a signing who morphed into a superstar later has turned out to already be a five-star acquisition. Bellingham is setting the world alight with his performances as he looks to help his new side recapture their league and European cup titles with his prolific form. He currently sits at the summit of the LALIGA goalscoring chart with 10 goals, three ahead of the next competitor, and has also scored in all three of this season's Champions League group-stage matches so far.
People were confused as to why Birmingham, when they agreed to sell their latest academy product to Dortmund, decided to retire the then-16-year-old's jersey, the No. 22, but it is clear today they were aware of what his future was going to look like. From a young age, Bellingham was considered talented, but what has stood out in recent years has been his personality and maturity, both at club level and on the international stage for England. The midfielder was appointed vice captain in Germany last season, a move that spoke volumes about his professionalism and leadership skills. It is this which then translates on to the field whenever he plays. The composure he displays with the ball at his feet, the exceptional close control, the elegance, his confidence, his instincts in front of goal, Bellingham is someone more than worthy of following Zinedine Zidane in wearing the famous No. 5 jersey at Los Blancos due to his offensive qualities, but his defensive contribution makes him the complete package.
As he continues in Spain, following on from the ability he proved he had in the EFL Championship and in Germany's top division, it is important to note that he is producing the goods for arguably the biggest club in the world, all while being just 20 years old. Given his performances, it is rumoured Real believe the money they paid for the Englishman was a bargain as he has shown the promise to be able to define an era at the Santiago Bernabeu. The club is said to have been surprised by his physique and ability from the first moment in pre-season, and now he is looking like the best piece of business Los Merengues have done in a very long time.
Kopa Trophy Winner In 2023, But What's Next?
Predicting what the future will bring for Bellingham is a tall order as it appears his growth knows no bounds, and perhaps it might be unfair placing such big expectations on England's new hope. Last week, the midfielder was officially recognised as the best young player in the world when he won the 2023 Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris, but some are already starting to believe the 20-yearold could, right now, be among the best players in the world, period. The way he is playing, it is quite possible that in 2024 he could be in contention for the Ballon d'Or. He could become the youngest-ever footballer to win it if he does, beating Ronaldo Nazario's record, but this won't be an easy task given all the other young attackers who are playing at a world-class level. Does he have what it takes to compete with the likes of Vinicius Junior, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe for years to come? Right now, it might be difficult to imagine that, but don't rule it out either.
