Luka Modric (left) was quickly impressed by Jude Bellingham's leadership abilities. Photo: AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
It takes a lot of effort to impress Luka Modric. But Jude Bellingham has. The Croatian, despite his shyness, does not hold back his opinions when it comes to football.
And he does not suffer fools or losers – and there have been several of those since he joined Real Madrid. from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012.
Despite the success, there were also costly mistakes. Bellingham is certainly not like that, and he quickly defeated Modric and Toni Kroos, Madrid's two senior midfielders, not only with his technique, but also with his temperament. They recognized the big man and Modric even gave Bellingham top marks when he was seen moving his body to hit an imaginary ball and match the young man's pass in one of the dressing rooms at Madrid's Valdebebas training ground. Modric spoke excitedly about what he had just witnessed on the training pitch.
The Ballon d'Or-winning midfielder, now 38, has turned down incredibly large offers to join the Saudi Pro League because he is determined to finish his career in Madrid and remains hungry for trophies. Essentially, he will sign any contract offered to him, and his current contract expires next month, such is his desire to stay for another year.
Modrić sees Bellingham as someone who can help him achieve his goal of becoming the most titled player in the history of Madrid. He currently shares this honor with 25 trophies, including five Champions Leagues. But he will break the record and could win an unprecedented sixth European Cup if Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund, Bellingham's former club, of course, at Wembley on Saturday night.
When Kroos, 34, announced the final would be his last game, Bellingham paid his respects – in Spanish – on Instagram. It ended with the words “One year was not enough” and prompted a sincere response from the German: “You are more than ready to take control! At 20…” Bellingham, like Kroos, publishes his own posts on social networks.
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This exchange of information is another example of how highly regarded Bellingham is in Madrid and the extraordinary influence he has had on the outside the field in the most attentive club in the world, where he also quickly became a leader.
There is something Bellingham has done throughout his career that makes him stand out. In every dressing room he walks into – from Birmingham to Dortmund, from England to Madrid – he gravitates towards seasoned professionals eager to learn and observe, while at the same time being at ease with people his own age.
“You can learn from people like that. You can’t take it for granted, it’s truly a blessing,” Bellingham said this week. “I'm a young guy in most dressing rooms I go to and they probably find it strange that I'm watching their every move, trying to take everything I can.”
Modrić and Kroos are aware of Bellingham's gaze on them and welcome it. They know what kind of player he is and can be, and the maturity he shows. Watch any warm-up in Madrid, and not far from these two you can see Bellingham, poking around in his thoughts.
There is also a video on social media of Kroos making a pinpoint pass for Vinicius to run on and score in a pre-season friendly against Juventus. Bellingham can be seen applauding the pass before the striker even reaches the ball.
Jude Bellingham's reaction to Toni Kroos' pass. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/oOQ54aPTJ4
— JBZ Fan (@JBellinghamZone) January 28, 2024
At Birmingham, Bellingham became friends with goalkeeper Lee Camp, who was widely regarded as a good role model and a man who took on young players. under his wing.
At Dortmund it was Marco Reus, who was a huge figure at the club, as well as young players like Gio Reyna and Erling Haaland. In the England squad there were Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and in Madrid he immediately went to Modric and Kroos, while forming close friendships with Eduardo Camavinga, Vinicius Jr and Brahim Diaz – the Moroccan became his unofficial Spanish teacher.
Bellingham at a basketball game with Vinicius Junior (left) Rodrigo and Aurelien Chuameni Photo: Getty Images/Oscar G. Barroso
This is the What's more impressive is that he may be keeping Diaz out of the team, and any talk of tension between him and Vinicius – with claims the Brazilian feels slighted now that Bellingham is a star – is simply not true. In fact, Bellingham goes out of his way to praise Vinicius, and the feeling is mutual.
Vinicius and Bellingham have become two real Madrid superstars. Photo: Getty Images/Antonio Villalba
It also helps that Bellingham walked into a much friendlier and more inclusive dressing room at Madrid than Gareth Bale did in 2013 – there are fewer egos and cliques and more cohesion under chief scout Juni Calafat, who recruits many young players and hosts dinners for them – but he also puts in a lot more effort.
It's no surprise that Bellingham earned the nickname “el chef” just weeks after arriving in Madrid. He has been Madrid's head coach this season and it would not be surprising if they are not only already considering offering him a new contract (despite still having five years left on his current deal) but have also earmarked him as a future captain.
It would be a major achievement for the Englishman in La Liga, where players from these shores have often been suspect, while the fee of up to £115 million promised for his signature last summer looks like a steal. If he were sold, Bellingham would be worth around £300 million, such is his ability and competitiveness.
Bellingham has already had a greater impact on Madrid in all aspects than David Beckham, and that's no small claim. But this is undeniable, even in commercial terms.
For example, Bellingham's shirt is currently Madrid's best-selling shirt, ahead of Vinicius, and he could be getting his own commercial boost, as reported by Telegraph Sport. , Adidas has made him the face and focal point of its advertising for the upcoming European Championships.
Bellingham is now the face of Adidas. Photo: Bloomberg/Nathan Laine
There were incidents throughout the campaign that pointed to Bellingham's importance as more than just a player: he finished the season as Madrid's top scorer in La Liga with 19 goals. in 28 matches from an attacking midfielder – but as a leader.
Take for example Madrid's Champions League group match against Napoli last November. Joselu – a 34-year-old former Stoke City striker on loan from Espanyol – missed several chances and raised his hands in apology to the fans when he finally scored from Bellingham's clever pass from outside the boot. in injury time. Bellingham's reaction? He pushed his teammate forward to receive praise from the fans.
Is there anything not to like about Jude Bellingham? ❤️
He helped Josel endear himself to Real Madrid fans after the Spaniard scored to end a tough game in front of goal 👏#UCL pic.twitter.com/FKtDGOYmMV
— Football on TNT Sports (@ footballontnt) November 29, 2023
Bellingham later said he worked hard to ensure Joselu took the tee and there were echoes of how he supported goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga during the 1–0 win over Celta Vigo. in August last year. This was only Bellingham's third game for Madrid. He also scored the only goal.
He also has an edge, which is also a good thing, especially when it comes to pushing your team forward. Sometimes it goes too far, such as the red card against Valencia or the ridicule of Getafe defender Stefan Mitrovic pretending to be a matador. But sometimes it's just competitive instinct and the desire to win, as when he turned his ears to the Barcelona fans after scoring the last-minute winner in El Clasico and trying to dismiss Harry Kane as a Bayern Munich striker. and his England team. comrade and captain! – waited for a penalty in the Champions League semi-final.
All this indicates that Bellingham is not just a generational talent, but a winner. And this leader.
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