Spain coach Carlo Ancelotti praised Jude Bellingham after the England midfielder scored in the 4-2 Champions League win over Napoli and set another record.
"It's difficult to compare Bellingham with others," Ancelotti said after the match at the Bernabeu. "It's true that Bellingham surprises you every game. He's a gift for football. Obviously the coaching staff, the players, the Real fans love Bellingham, but I think the football world in general is very happy to see this type of player."
The Italian coach praised Bellingham for his ability to quickly adapt to a new environment, and said his student's biggest weakness was communication. "Bellingham just needs to improve his Spanish, no one is perfect!", Ancelotti said.
Coach Ancelotti directs Real Madrid's 4-2 win over Napoli in the fifth round of Group C of the Champions League at the Bernabeu on November 29. Photo: Reuters
Last weekend, Bellingham scored in the 3-0 win over Cadiz in round 14 of La Liga to reach 14 goals in 15 games since the start of the season, including 11 goals in La Liga and three goals in the Champions League. The English midfielder made history as the player who scored the most goals in the first 15 games for Real, surpassing the record of 13 goals held by Cristiano Ronaldo, Alfredo Di Stefano and Pruden Sanchez.
Bellingham continued his record-breaking run yesterday with a header against Napoli in the fifth round of Champions League Group C. Bellingham became the fourth player to reach 10 Champions League goals before the age of 21, joining Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Karim Benzema, and the first English player to do so.
Bellingham also became the first player to score in each of his first four Champions League appearances for Real, surpassing Christian Karembeu's record of scoring in each of his first three games in 1998. Before yesterday's match against Napoli, the English midfielder scored in the 2-1 win at Braga, the 3-2 win at Napoli and the 1-0 win over Union Berlin. He did not play in the previous match, which ended in a 3-0 win over Braga at the Bernabeu.
Bellingham is on course to break another record held by Raul. The former Real Madrid player from 1994-2010 is the only player under the age of 21 to have scored more goals in a single Champions League campaign than Bellingham, with six in 1995-96.
Bellingham headed in to make it 2-1 for Real in their 4-2 win over Napoli. Photo: realmadrid.com
Another young Real player who shone against Napoli was Nico Paz. The Argentine midfielder replaced Brahim Diaz in the 65th minute when the score was 2-2 and needed less than 20 minutes to make a turning point. In the 84th minute, receiving the ball from Antonio Rudiger, the 19-year-old Argentine midfielder turned around, eliminated the Napoli player and finished with his left foot from about 25 meters into the visitors' net.
At 19 years and 82 days, Nico Paz is the second youngest Argentine player to score in Champions League history. The leader in this statistic is the legendary Lionel Messi, who scored in Barca's 5-0 win over Panathinaikos at Camp Nou on November 2, 2005, at the age of 18 years and 131 days.
"It was a special night for Paz and he is the future of Real," Ancelotti praised, stressing that the Argentine midfielder has all the qualities needed to be a Real player. Paz started his career as a centre-back, but can now play in every position across the front line after coming through Real's youth ranks.
Meanwhile, Rodrygo continued his winning streak with a curling shot into the far corner to equalise 1-1 against Napoli. The Brazilian forward has been involved in 11 goals, including seven goals and four assists, in his last seven games for Real in all competitions. This is a far cry from the start of the season, when he only contributed one goal and one assist in 12 games.
Rodrygo equalized 1-1 for Real Madrid in the 11th minute. Photo: realmadrid.com
"Rodrygo never gives up and the first goal after a series of scoreless matches was a boost for Rodrygo to return to what he does best, which is scoring goals. Rodrygo is very classy so it was just a matter of time," Ancelotti said.
The 4-2 victory helped Real gain 15 absolute points and secure the top position in the group when entering the Champions League round of 16 one round early. On December 2, the royal team continued to play at home against Granada in round 15 of La Liga.
Hong Duy
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