Spain According to coach Carlo Ancelotti, midfielder Jude Bellingham has qualities of modern football that legend Zinedine Zidane does not have, and vice versa.
"It's difficult to compare two different generations," Ancelotti said after the 4-2 win over Napoli in the fifth round of Champions League Group C. "What I saw was Bellingham's ability to penetrate the penalty area, which Zidane didn't have. On the other hand, Bellingham doesn't have some of the individual qualities that Zidane had. But that's modern football. Modern football requires players with the physicality of Bellingham, who can quickly cover many areas of the pitch."
Bellignham enters the penalty area during Real's 4-2 defeat of Napoli at the Bernabeu on November 29. Photo: realmadrid.com
When asked more about his student's strengths in penetrating the penalty area, the Italian coach compared Bellingham to "rushing into the penalty area like a motorbike". According to Ancelotti, with his own style of football, this young midfielder is surprising both Real and opponents because of his speed of adaptation.
At the Bernabeu on November 29, Bellingham had another sublime performance. The English midfielder headed the ball across the corner to make it 2-1 in the 22nd minute, then assisted substitute Joselu to score the final goal in the fourth minute of injury time. In total, Bellingham has 15 goals and four assists in 16 matches in all competitions, since moving to Real for a fee of 110 million USD from Dortmund.
"It looked like Bellingham was out of breath in the middle of the second half," Ancelotti added. "He took 10 minutes to recover and then in the last 15 minutes Bellingham made the difference and won the game. It was amazing. Bellingham is young, professional and adapted well to the dressing room."
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
Bellingham was named man of the match in the win over Napoli and set a series of records. He 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 20-year-old 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.
"I'm speechless. Watch the games, Bellingham is improving every day. It's a pleasure to play with Bellingham," Rodrygo said briefly when asked about his new English teammate's form.
Returning to La Liga after the win over Napoli, Real have a chance to extend their happy days when they host Grananda in round 15 at 0:30 on December 3. Bellingham and his teammates are currently leading the table with 35 points after 14 rounds, but are above Girona thanks to the extra index. If they win, Real will likely remain at the top of the table and extend their winning streak in all competitions to five matches. Granada is currently second to last in La Liga with only 7 points, including one win, after 14 matches.
Hong Duy
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