Why Jude Bellingham joined Real Madrid ‘project’ — and what comes next
As Jude Bellingham sat behind the top table at the Etihad Stadium, to his right were three massive images, filling a wall. Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Erling Haaland, each holding a trophy from Manchester City’s treble. There is an alternative future in which a supersized picture of him would stare out, where he could find himself next to Rodri and De Bruyne on a wall and in a midfield.
City wanted him last year. They were not alone in that. Liverpool did too, before bowing out of the bidding. And yet, for one of the most coveted players on the planet, the decision was actually a simple one.
“I had conversations with other teams but when Madrid came in it was a no-brainer really,” he said. “The size of the club, the project, the plan going forward, the chance to play with such amazing players: I just jumped at it. That’s why I made my decision.”
It is one City may have cause to regret. The one who got away could end their spell as champions of Europe. They could not get Bellingham, or anyone like him. Their midfield additions instead were Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes: neither remotely of Bellingham’s calibre, though their combined cost of £75m is not far off the £88m Real Madrid paid, which could rise to £115m. The probability is that each will begin on the bench when Bellingham lines up at the Etihad Stadium in visiting colours: he did so last season, too, scoring for Borussia Dortmund in a group-stage defeat. A Champions League quarter-final for Real, with a tie intriguingly poised at 3-3, feels an altogether bigger occasion again.
“These are the games you join for,” said Bellingham. They are the matches that have defined Real for decades, and City only more recently. If the European Cup made Real and vice-versa, their allure was enough to entice the boy from Birmingham. It seems a mutual-appreciation society. The Bernabeu contains plenty of fans with Bellingham’s name on the back of their shirts, when their present and recent past offers many another enticing alternative, while the Real insignia still impresses him.
“There are countless things I could name about the club,” said the midfielder. “I feel grateful every time I go into training and wear the badge on the chest.” That immediate attraction was apparent: Bellingham had 16 goals by Christmas, 20 by early February before injury, suspension and a loss of rhythm contributed to a two-month drought. “I started the first half of the season really well,” he said, with no hint of false modesty. Now he accepts the pressure that comes with his status as one of Real’s modern-day Galacticos. “I’m happy to take the criticism on the chin,” he added.
He has accepted responsibility at the Bernabeu: first as a false nine and scorer, more recently a shift in tactics has required him to sacrifice himself for the team a little more. “The last couple of months my role has changed slightly,” he said. “There are things I have had to tweak and do more work for the team which I absolutely don’t mind.”
On and off the pitch Bellingham has a manner that underlined Carlo Ancelotti’s assessment. “He is only 20 years old and we forget this,” said the Real manager. Perhaps it is a consequence of doing so much at such a young age. Twice now he has burdened himself with the status of an expensive import. He has been something of a trailblazer, a man who took the route less travelled. “I was at Dortmund for three years and maybe took a path that was unfamiliar for English players abroad,” he said.
He has adapted, on and off the pitch. Ancelotti has helped, facilitating his transformation into a goal scorer. “He has a lot of quality technically and strong physicality,” said the Italian. “He is a modern – it is difficult to say midfielder - but he can cover a lot of space.” Ancelotti has used Bellingham more in the final third, giving the Englishman a dimension he did not fully realise himself.
“The sign of a good manager is he can make you think you are a bit better than you are,” said a player already among the world’s best. “He gives me the freedom to roam. He’s a top person, makes me feel comfortable. He has been amazing in helping me adapt and understand my own potential. I have played more as a 10, [whereas at] Dortmund I was deeper and Birmingham all over the place. It’s definitely down to him.”
If a former ally, Haaland, now leads the line for City, Bellingham has forged different alliances. “Vinicius [Junior] and Rodrygo, I play closely with and when everything connects it is beautiful to play with players like that. They make it so much easier.” And if joining Real was easy for them, he has made the leap to play and excel for them seem just as simple.
