Picking the ball up 40 yards from goal, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham waltzed his way past various Napoli defenders before curling a shot into the net for a Champions League moment that will long be remembered.
Real may have been 3-2 winners in Tuesday’s thriller, but it was the boy from Stourbridge who stole the show once more.
Just when you didn’t think things could get any better for Real’s 103m euro summer signing, 20-year-old England midfielder Bellingham made sure he was the talk of Europe across the newspapers, TV, radio and social media.
Nine games, eight goals. Bellingham’s start to life at Real – after joining from Borussia Dortmund – has been simply sensational.
His arms aloft celebration is already becoming iconic among Real fans, while the Spanish media are purring in admiration.
‘A little Di Stefano, a little Zidane’ and ‘It was like Maradona’ were two of the latest headlines.
“I believe in myself, but I didn’t know it would be this good,” said Bellingham. “I owe it to the staff and my teammates.”
Asked about any comparison with former Argentina and Napoli great Diego Maradona, though, Bellingham was quick to downplay them.
“That’s a bit too much,” he said. “It was a nice goal. From what I’ve seen on YouTube and documentaries, his quality was a bit more than mine, or a lot more. I’m just trying to contribute in a Jude way.
“It may have been one of my best goals. We were facing a great team and in a great stadium. The most important thing has been the victory and having contributed to it. It is important to continue with this pace.”
When Bellingham left Birmingham for Dortmund for £25m in 2020, becoming the most expensive 17-year-old in the history of football, the Championship side were mocked by some for retiring the teenager’s shirt number, despite his only playing one full season.
Who’s laughing now? He has been described as a possible three-time Ballon d’Or winner by former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand and is now seen as a key man for both England and Real Madrid.
Spanish football expert Guillem Balague has even described Bellingham as “the best player in the world right now”.
He said: “His dream was always to be part of La Liga at the biggest level and he believes he belongs to that level.”
In Spain the comparisons have started, first Zidane, then Di Stefano. Everybody, all the players, are saying what a brilliant guy and brilliant footballer he is.”
After watching Bellingham drive Real to the top of La Liga and put them in control of their Champions League group, manager Carlo Ancelotti said: “I’m surprised he’s only 20 years old because he looks like he’s 30 because of his character and attitude.
“He is always focused on the game and knows what he has to do. It’s unusual for a 20-year-old. He has a lot of quality, physical strength, and skill. He surprises me like he does to everyone else.”
Forget Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. Real appear to have found a new formidable partnership.
Brazil forward Vinicius Jr, just back from injury, and Bellingham have struck up a friendship on and off the field that will be ominous for the rest of Europe.
“He’s incredible,” Bellingham said of 23-year-old Vinicius. “He’s probably the best in the world.
“He’s one of the most talented players I’ve ever played with. He makes games easier for me with his speed and his ability.”
The admiration is mutual.
“I wanted Jude at Real Madrid,” said Vinicius after the Napoli game. “I sent many messages to Bellingham last year. I was texting every day and I was telling him: come to Madrid.”
‘Half artist, half warrior’ – how Spain reacted
Spanish football commentators were full of praise about Bellingham’s performance.
“Bellingham reminds one of Di Stefano,” enthused sports daily AS’ top columnist Alfredo Relano, comparing the young English player to the legendary Argentine-born player who was a legend at Real Madrid in the 1960s.
“Elegant on the run and in the handling of the ball, but fierce and untiring in the fight. Half artist, half warrior,” Relano wrote.
Praising the goal scored by Bellingham, Relano said he “slipped through the Napoli defence like a knife through butter”.
Another well-known Spanish sports daily, Marca, dedicated a whole article to focus on Bellingham’s habit of having his tongue out in an apparent act of concentration when he was playing.
“Jude Bellingham, the tongue of genius which the world of football needed,” Marca’s story said.
Noting that other global sports stars, such as basketball ace Michael Jordan had a similar habit, Marca called Bellingham’s performance against Napoli a “repertoire of concentration”.
“And now, rivals will feel the worst is coming when Jude sticks his tongue out, and it’s one that the world of football needed,” the report added.
“Bellingham has been the signing of the summer for Real Madrid. The Englishman has become the new idol of the ‘whites’ [Real Madrid] with his goals and good play,” declared daily Mundo Deportivo.
“Bellingham’s doctorate in Maradona’s house” was the headline on the sports pages of the major Spanish daily El Pais, referring to the display put on by Bellingham in Napoli’s Diego Armando Maradona stadium.
“In Naples, in the temple of one of the greatest deities in the history of football, he ran with the ease of somebody moving through his own garden,” the El Pais correspondent wrote, comparing him to the late Argentine icon Diego Maradona.
