Jude Victor William Bellingham, this is your league. The title opened with him and also effectively closed with him, told as it should be, an inevitability of it all. At first he had stood with his arms wide in front of 48,927 people in San Mames, the ground so revered they call it the cathedral, after scoring his first Real Madrid goal on his debut. In the end, he stood with his arms wide in front of 77,981 in his new home, having just scored his 21st, 17 of which came in La Liga. From August to April, from Bilbao to the Bernabéu, via Almería and Vigo, Cádiz and Seville, Braga and Naples, more than 800,000 people saw a celebration that may not be new, but that became its own and is now the hallmark of the champions, symbol of this season.
It showed after every goal except one, but it turned out that even that made sense somehow, as if Bellingham knew. In his first clasico, the match he had watched as a child, he scored the equalizer at Montjuïc. He wasn’t quite Christ the Redeemer then, but he was when he got the Madrid-style winner: after the stadium bells had stopped, at 92 minutes, a taste of the epic. Now, six months later, he only did it again, a 91st minute goal that took Madrid to another clasico victory, 3-2, and towards the league title, nodding as he welcomed the Bernabéu into his arms. With six games to go, they lead Barcelona by 11 points. “He arrived at the right time,” said Carlo Ancelotti. “It had been a while since he scored.”
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A while. Well, it’s one way of putting it. Bellingham’s last goal in Madrid had come in February, which isn’t a long time for a midfielder, let alone a midfielder in his first season at the club, and even less so when you look at the fixture list, but says something about the absurd standards he had. set. Before last night, he had gone three entire games without a league goal. It’s been a difficult few weeks: there was an ankle injury and a suspension, a shift to a deeper, more left-sided position and he has been playing with a heavy bandage around his shoulder since Christmas. For the first time there were flashes of irritability and frustration. But when the moment came, he was there. And so it was done.
“It was an unforgettable week,” said Ancelotti.
It’s not just about Bellingham, of course, and there is something telling in the role played even by those who are not among the protagonists, something inescapable: Madrid’s worst footballers are the best of most teams, and yet they have a found a way to avoid many of the problems. frustrations and rifts that come with limited opportunities, and supposedly big egos – of which, despite appearances, there are actually surprisingly few, not least because this is Ancelotti’s group.
After a difficult start, Vinícius Júnior has 19 goals and nine assists in all competitions. Rodrygo has seventeen goals and eight assists. Federico Valverde has been everything and everywhere. After losing to Etihad last season, many thought the end had come for Toni Kroos, the man who, according to Santi Cazorla, hasn’t given a ball away since the Under-13s, but he is arguably Spain’s best midfielder. Luka Modric has played less, but was his 34th and last last night clasico, what a way to go. They have been without Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba and Éder Militão for almost the entire season. In their absence, Antonio Rudiger was tremendous. Joselu is an alternative striker, who plays more rarely, but strives for a goal every other match. Andriy Lunin, the back-up goalkeeper they were insecure enough to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga, became their savior, and not just in Manchester. He has the best save percentage in La Liga.
During the shootout at the Etihad last Wednesday, he was there, prepared to stand still. Nacho, Lucas Vázquez and Rüdiger all scored, meanwhile: none of them started the same match last year or expected to at the start of this year. As for Luke, tongues clenched cheeks when they called him ‘Cafucas‘ can now be deleted. The man who spun the ball on his finger during the Champions League final shootout in Milan now did a few kick-ups while he waited: and then scored on both occasions. On Sunday he was absurd, the best player on the field and the first footballer in thirty years to score, assist and win a penalty in this match. Or, as Bellingham put it: “Lucas Vázquez, you fucking legend.”
And yet, as Madrid’s most important signing, this was always going to be Bellingham’s season, and it will end with the league title – and perhaps more, with a European Cup semi-final on the horizon. The same thing happened with the girlacticos: Luís Figo’s debut year ended with the league, Zinedine Zidane with the Champions League, original Ronaldo’s, another national title, which makes it all sound inevitable, but David Beckham’s ended in a collapse, with the creaking foundations crumbling and a reminder that there are risks existed too. Bellingham’s year could hardly have gone better, to the point that it really is his, and he’s being compared to them all. Also for Raúl, Alfredo Di Stéfano and even Diego Maradona after scoring That goal at Napoli. Which, he said, was “a bit too much.”
Related: Santi Cazorla: ‘I would play for free, but that’s not allowed’
That’s true, and yet… it’s really hard to think of many men who have had such a debut season in Madrid, a player who has dominated a season or had such an impact. “Bellingham is the Player of the League,” AS wrote on Monday morning and even with the recent mini-dip, that is not easy to argue. When asked last night if this was Bellingham’s season, Lucas replied: “Definitely. It’s between him and Vinícius, two spectacular players. Since Jude is a surprise, maybe it will tip the balance in his direction.”
If the last time he scored was in February, he got two that day and against Girona, a victory that was a statement, a decisive step towards winning the title. He scored in his first three Champions League games, his first four in the competition. He scored four times in extra time: two clasicos and his debut in the home league and the Champions League, against Getafe and Union Berlin. It’s been ten years since anyone scored in both games against Barcelona – Cristiano Ronaldo, of course – and only Girona’s Artem Dovbyk has more league goals, just one difference. In all competitions he has 21 goals and 10 assists. He’s played 3,190 minutes, which is probably too many, but you wouldn’t discount him.
He came at the age of 19. “It’s just something you don’t expect, to be able to play for a team like this. So when it actually manifests, it’s a great feeling,” he said upon arriving. This is huge, but it has rarely felt like this. Bellingham manages to bow down to the magnitude of it all, to talk like he’s been star-struck but never to play like that, never to be intimidated by it: Madrid is the biggest thing there is, but, well, so ? There has been just enough arrogance to match the impeccable manners. “The most important point is that he is really mature: he is only 20, but he is more mature than his age,” Ancelotti said. “He is very professional, very serious, very modest. As a player we are not surprised by him, but in that sense we are.”
Athletics Bilbao 1-1 Granada
Girona 4-1 Cadiz
Valencia 1-2 Real Betis
Rayo Vallecano 2-1 Osasuna
Celta Vigo 4-1 Las Palmas
Getafe 1-1 Real Sociedad
Almeria 1-2 Villarreal
Alavés 2-0 Atlético Madrid
Real Madrid 3-2 Barcelona
Sometimes it even felt like if anyone was impressed, it was his colleagues. There’s been a kind of respect for him from teammates, and this isn’t just any team; it is the largest of them all. They emulated his celebration when they scored and wanted to be there when he did. The warmth feels very real, the affection genuine. Last night he posted photos with teammates in the locker room: “Our house,” he called it. Vinícius said he was born to play for Madrid. “He is a star,” said Brahim Díaz.
“To be honest, I was a bit surprised, but wow, he’s already a big personality in the dressing room, and that’s huge,” Rüdiger admitted. “The way he handles himself is very good. He is very old for his age. He is professional in everything he does, he is a good guy. He has great parents who do a great job. “I don’t have to say anything about his talent, I just hope he stays healthy.” Joselu said: “He is a very humble boy and that has touched people, making him a very special person in the dressing room. He is a special player who can achieve anything he sets his mind to.” Starting with a title in his first season in Spain, the league took hold and entered its arms.
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Pos |
Team |
P |
GD |
Ptn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Real Madrid |
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|
2 |
Barcelona |
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|
3 |
Girona |
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|
4 |
Atletico Madrid |
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|
5 |
Athletic Bilbao |
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|
6 |
Real Society |
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|
7 |
Real Betis |
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|
8 |
Valencia |
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|
9 |
Villarreal |
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|
10 |
Getafe |
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|
11 |
Osasuna |
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|
12 |
Las Palmas |
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|
13 |
Alaves |
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|
14 |
Seville |
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|
15 |
Rayo Vallecano |
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|
16 |
Mallorca |
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|
17 |
Celta Vigo |
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|
18 |
Cadiz |
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|
19 |
Grenada |
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|
20 |
Almeria |