In a Borussia Dortmund podcast, Patrick Owomoyela asked the then 19-year-old Jew Bellingham which personalities particularly inspired him. “That’s easy,” Bellingham replied without hesitation. “Zidane! He’s simply the coolest guy ever!” The young professional then talked about how he recently met the French football legend at an event in Paris. “I was in awe of him,” admitted the mega-talent, who would wear the Real Madrid jersey for the first time a year later – with the number five, like “Zizou” once did.
The fact that Bellingham is now 20 years old is only an insufficient explanation for the fact that he plays for the Royals as if he were the main character in a football simulation. With eight goals after nine matchdays, the Englishman leads the top scorers list in La Liga. In the Champions League, Bellingham has even scored in each of the three group games so far – and that as a midfielder. Not even Cristiano Ronaldo started with such a strong rating at Real. Is the next world footballer developing here?
The outstanding figures can at least be partially justified. Because: Compared to his time in Dortmund, Bellingham acts much more offensively. Coach Carlo Ancelotti has changed his system from 4−3−3 to a 4−3−1−2, in which Bellingham plays in the tenth position. “It’s best for him to be a number 10 because he’s close to the penalty area,” said the Italian in pre-season. At Borussia Dortmund and in the national team, Bellingham played mostly in central midfield, sometimes even directly in front of the defensive line. After the 3-1 win against UD Almeria on the second matchday, the Englishman already said that he was “ten times better” than last season: “I’m like a sponge that absorbs everything possible from my teammates.”
Bellingham’s statements almost sound like a threat to the competition, after all, the inquisitive superstar still has the majority of his career ahead of him. For comparison: Zinédine Zidane was already 29 years old when he played his first game for the Galactic in 2001. At that time, however, the 1998 world champion already had two world football titles and a Ballon d’Or under his belt. If Bellingham continues like this, it will only be a matter of time before he receives the same accolades. Above all, his graceful 35-meter dribble against SSC Napoli, which he completed with a soulful shot into the far corner, brought back memories of “Zizou”. The international press even dared to make a comparison to Diego Maradona, which Bellingham modestly avoided after the game. “It was a nice goal. But I saw on YouTube and in documentaries that Maradona had a little more quality than me – or rather, a lot more. I just want to contribute to success the Jude way.”
2023-10-28 16:13:11
#Zizou
