MrRaspberryJam Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67005713 Jude Bellingham: 'A little Di Stefano, a little Zidane' - Real Madrid have a new hero It is a goal already being talked about as a possible Puskas award winner. Picking the ball up 40 yards from goal, Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham waltzed his way past various Napoli defenders before curling 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 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 team-mates." From humble beginnings to shining on the biggest stages 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". After watching Bellingham drive Real to the top of La Liga and 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." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Turkey have withdrawn from the running for Euro 2028, does that mean the UK and Ireland bid gets it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interpolic Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 48 minutes ago, Super Duper Branko Strupar said: “Mike’s first thought when you put a player in was ‘Will we get our money back?'” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpie Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Klippity wants the Spurs game replayed ??? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack j Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Just watched this 45 mins of indirect fergie bashing... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyt Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 “Ah, God, look at that. Stupid. Get front cover and pull a daft face. Typical.” “You look quite young there.” “Photogenic. Sort of natural.” “It’s 6 years old” “Yeah. I got it out today to throw it away Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toon25 Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 57 minutes ago, jack j said: Just watched this 45 mins of indirect fergie bashing... Probably because Ferguson was willing to call him out on becoming a celebrity more than a footballer. Definitely been on the Botox too Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieDazzler Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 25 minutes ago, joeyt said: “Ah, God, look at that. Stupid. Get front cover and pull a daft face. Typical.” “You look quite young there.” “Photogenic. Sort of natural.” “It’s 6 years old” “Yeah. I got it out today to throw it away I thought he’d given him the Huxley book when I first saw the pic would have been very random. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Icarus Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 I thought that might have been what joey t was quoting at first but no, of course it's David Brent. It's never anyone else. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The College Dropout Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 (edited) 38 minutes ago, toon25 said: Probably because Ferguson was willing to call him out on becoming a celebrity more than a footballer. Definitely been on the Botox too Looks like a bit more than Botox. Think he was a good professional mind. Think Messi is looking to follow in his footsteps on owning a "franchise" right? A lot of Messi talk - I wanted to hear Fergie bashing. Edited October 4, 2023 by The College Dropout Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSG Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Apparently the first 3 games of the 2030 World Cup will be in South America and the rest in Spain, Portugal and Morocco Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyt Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 8 minutes ago, NSG said: Apparently the first 3 games of the 2030 World Cup will be in South America and the rest in Spain, Portugal and Morocco Sounds like absolute chaos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
54 Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 What in the clusterfuck is that Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ameritoon Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 why can't they just be normal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The College Dropout Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Geographically, the three host nations make sense. But I imagine it is much more difficult to navigate in reality. The South American thing is just..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orphanage Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Blast from the past . Imagine calling NUFC fans toxic cos they wanted Bruce out ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 I was too little to attend the 1982 WC, I hope to be able to grab tickets for this one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chapo Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 I wonder will FIFA still shite on about “carbon neutral tournament” during that one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenum Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Listened to the cnut last night and cringed. He's here on TNT tonight as well. He offers NOTHING. Why the hell can't they find a better punter than Ri* Feridicant? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBrownBottle Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 On 04/11/2022 at 18:14, Froggy said: This is one of the saddest things to read about constantly. Most supporters of teams with United in their name will call their team United. You ask 95% of football fans worldwide who they think of when someone says United and it's Manchester United. It's not a big deal. So if we win our game in hand will Sutton start calling you Newcastle United and us United again? What a plonker. Never arsed me people not calling us ‘Newcastle United’. But calling Man Utd ‘United’ does arse me. Personally, I think it’s because so few of your supporters come from Manchester that the ‘Manchester’ bit never was important to them … Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toon25 Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Bring back Football in Paint thread imo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superior Acuña Posted October 6, 2023 Share Posted October 6, 2023 Boca-Fluminense Copa Libertadores final confirmed. Should be a belter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toon25 Posted October 6, 2023 Share Posted October 6, 2023 1 hour ago, Superior Acuña said: Boca-Fluminense Copa Libertadores final confirmed. Should be a belter. Nice! When is the final? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cronky Posted October 6, 2023 Share Posted October 6, 2023 (edited) Came across an interesting fact. Of the 352 players in their national squads for the 1966 World Cup, how many were playing for clubs outside their country? Scroll down for the answer. 8. A sign of the times. Of the 8, 7 were playing in Italy, 1 in Spain. All were from European countries. All the 110 South and Central American players were playing for clubs within their countries. Obviously I'm aware of the changes that have taken place, but those figures surprised me. Edited October 6, 2023 by Cronky Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now