Bellingham crowns superb debut season at Real
JUDE Bellingham has taken Real Madrid by storm in a sparkling debut La Liga campaign, exceeding sky-high expectations to help his team claim a record-extending 36th Spanish league title.
“It’s Bellingham’s league” has become a common phrase among football fans and pundits in Spain and that is proof of his stunning start with the Spanish giants.
After being named Bundesliga Player of the Year last season, Bellingham arrived at Real, who were coming from a disappointing campaign.
With the departure of Casemiro and ageing Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in the final year of their contracts, Bellingham was seen as a key part of Real’s midfield revamp.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti had to improvise and saw in Bellingham the potential to be much more than a goal creator.
The Italian coach changed his line-up from the traditional 4-3-3 formation, giving Bellingham freedom to get forward and link up with Vinicius jr and Rodrygo. That unleashed a hidden beast, with Bellingham scoring an astonishing 15 goals in his first 16 games.
Bellingham’s goals also earned Real valuable points, including a brace at Barcelona and the winner at the Santiago Bernabeu to give his side come-from-behind wins in both El Clasicos.
He is the second-top scorer in La Liga this season with 18 goals, two behind Girona’s Artem Dovbyk and the only midfielder to score 10 or more times in Spain this campaign.
Until Saturday, however, the only major silverware Bellingham had won was the German Cup and he now has the chance to add the Champions League and Euro 2024 crowns to complete a glorious campaign.