A leading member of the midfield ranks at La Liga giants Real Madrid has tonight come in for some altogether deserved praise.
The player in question? Jude Bellingham.
Youngster Bellingham was afforded his latest start on Wednesday, as Real Madrid kicked the club’s campaign into gear in a UEFA Super Cup showdown with Serie A outfit Atalanta.
When all was said and done, the individual quality of Los Blancos proved too much for their opponents, 2nd-half goals on the part of Federico Valverde and debutant Kylian Mbappé enough to put a plucky Atalanta to the sword.
En route to as much, several Real stars, in particular during the 2nd-half, impressed, with the likes of Valverde and Vinícius Jr. having risen to the occasion on the grandest stage for what feels like the umpteenth time.
None, though, in truth, shone brighter than Jude Bellingham.
Almost as if on a mission to shut down any remaining doubters of his talents after regular criticism during the Euro 2024, Bellingham took tonight’s clash by the scruff of the neck, excelling in every aspect of play.
His crowning moment came midway through the 2nd-half, when the 21-year-old laid on the most sumptuous of assists for Mbappé to round out the scoring in Warsaw.
And one individual who could not help but lavish praise on Bellingham post-match was fellow countryman Rio Ferdinand.
Speaking as part of his punditry role for BT Sport, Ferdinand, when drawn on Bellingham’s latest display, gushed:
“Jude Bellingham is a class apart. He was absolutely phenomenal. His influence on the game was magnificent.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
