Alex Kirkland
Rodrigo Faez
October 7, 2023, 1:30 PM ET
Vinícius Júnior praised Jude Bellingham as “incredible” and said the midfielder was “born to play for Real Madrid” after the England international scored twice in the club’s 4-0 LaLiga win over Osasuna on Saturday.
Bellingham opened the scoring in the ninth minute at the Bernabeu before adding a second early in the second half, taking his tally to ten goals in ten games for Real Madrid so far.
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Vinícius scored a third goal and Joselu a fourth, sending Madrid back to the top of the LaLiga table.
“(Bellingham) was born to play for Real Madrid, to mark an era at the biggest club in the world,” Vinícius told Real Madrid TV. “Let’s hope that (our connection) lasts for many more years, that we play together here for a long time.”
“I’m really looking forward to playing with Jude, one of the best players of his age at the moment. We’re all happy and the fans are enjoying it.”
Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham have scored a total of 10 goals and provided three assists in 14 LaLiga games this season. Denis Doyle/Getty Images
Bellingham’s 10 goals in 10 games matches the start that Cristiano Ronaldo – who later became Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer – had when he arrived at the club.
“Bellingham gives us a lot of options up front,” said coach Carlo Ancelotti in his post-match press conference.
“He is involved in the game and since he doesn’t have a fixed position, he has an advantage. It was a surprising start to the season. Nobody expected this level of goals.”
Real Madrid have now bounced back from their 3-1 defeat to Atlético Madrid in the derby on September 24 to make it three wins in a row in LaLiga.
“(Bellingham) plays out wide, he plays deep inside, he’s very dynamic,” Ancelotti added. “We are fortunate to have signed a spectacular player. Whether he is the best (in the world) or not doesn’t matter. We signed him and are happy about it.”
Ancelotti dismissed questions about whether the England star would feel pressure to maintain that scoring rate.
“(Bellingham) is very calm, he understands the moment,” Ancelotti said. “He is aware that he is not a center forward but an attacking midfielder and it is not his responsibility to score goals. When the moment comes, he will contribute to the team in a different way.”
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2023-10-08 13:21:20
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