Jude Bellingham has taken to life at Real Madrid like a duck to Twitter. Los Blancos beat out interest from Manchester City for the Englishman, spending a whopping $110M to sign him, but the midfielder is already proving why he was worth it.
The former Dortmund ace grabbed his first goal for the Spanish giants in only his second appearance, netting in the 2-0 pre-season victory over Manchester United. The Three Lions sensation continued this blistering form through the 2023-24 campaign, having scored three goals in two outings so far.
The 20-year-old got on the scoresheet in the opening game, a 2-0 victory over Athletic Club, before netting a brace and grabbing an assist in the 3-1 victory over Almeria on Matchday 2 of the Spanish top flight.
Speaking on his podcast Einfach mal Luppen, teammate Toni Kroos, regarded by many as one of the best midfielders in recent history, went into greater detail about the Englishman and revealed the one key trait that has impressed him the most.
The German icon highlighted the Englishman's maturity above all else, something everyone Jude has played with picked up on immediately. Kroos went even further, adding that the midfielder's maturity does not only show in his behavior off the pitch but in his actions on the pitch as well.
"It was indicated in the preparation, where he did really well. He's integrated surprisingly well in such a short time," Kroos said. "I have a very good feeling about him because I think he's incredibly mature for his age - not just mentally, that he's already very far, but also with the way he plays football. He's very, very far, doesn't do hara-kiri things, is always clear in his actions, works, tries to play to his strengths to the full.
"A lot of other people at that age still make a lot of hara-kiri, a lot of technical and tactical mistakes. You don't see that much with him. So far I have to say that he is already an absolute asset to our game. That means something because we're not a completely blind team. The fact that a 20-year-old enriches us right from the start is a good sign."
Bellingham has been used further up the pitch than initially expected, playing behind Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo as a no.10 or at the tip of a diamond. This has allowed the Englishman to crash the box and get on the end of opportunities to showcase his goalscoring prowess.
However, this is due to one obvious reason. The departure of Karim Benzema and the failure to replace the Frenchman has left Ancelotti without a talisman, which means the goals need to spread amongst the team. Jude has three already but it will be interesting to see how he is used in the long term once Los Blancos get a world-class striker.
Real Madrid currently sit top of the table and will be in action in La Liga this Friday, traveling to Celta Vigo. Fans in the USA can catch Spanish Primera Division matches live on ESPN+, including Los Merengues' upcoming fixture.
