Jude Bellingham admits Manchester City and other Premier League clubs would not have had a chance to sign him last summer after Real Madrid’s ‘no-brainer’ offer.
Bellingham faces City in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday and had his pick of English teams wanting him when he left Borussia Dortmund, with the Spanish giants landing him in a deal worth £115 million.
City were in the market for midfielders ahead of his season, with Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic signing for Pep Guardiola’s side.
“I had conversations with other teams, but when Madrid came in it was basically a no-brainer,” Bellingham said. “The size of the club, the project, the plan for the future, the opportunity to play with such great players. I just jumped at it.
“That’s why I made my decision. I had good conversations with clubs, including Dortmund, and my family was a great help in gathering that information, because it is difficult to absorb and process the information while you are still in the season, while you still have to play at the weekend or in the Champions. Competition.”
‘Ancelotti makes me believe I am a little better than I am’
The 20-year-old will start the second leg at the Etihad Stadium, with the score level at 3-3. After breaking the 20-goal mark in his first season at Real, Bellingham says his progress is down to manager Carlo Ancelotti.
“The mark of a good manager is that he makes you believe that you are slightly better than you are,” Bellingham said. “He gives me the freedom to roam, he is a top person and has helped me a lot to adapt and understand my potential.”
The only downside to living in Spain is that Bellingham now expects ‘disgusting’ racist abuse while playing in La Liga.
The racist taunts are so common that it was not on Bellingham’s radar that a Mallorca supporter was caught insulting Aurélien Tchouaméni as he scored Real’s winner last weekend. These acts are so common in Spain that Bellingham was completely focused on facing Manchester City in the Champions League this week.
‘Those in power must do more about racism’
The issue of racism in football is something Bellingham is passionate about after meeting his teammate Vinicius Jr. to the point where the Brazilian forward burst into tears when speaking about his ordeal, showing that he is losing the desire to play.
“It’s a terrible way for a player to prepare for a match knowing he’s likely to be racially abused. It’s disgusting. It shouldn’t happen. The people in power need to do more, especially with Vini in recent weeks – well, years actually,” Bellingham said.
“In the games we go away, especially in La Liga, you almost get so used to it. I wasn’t even aware of the incident last weekend, which is a huge problem in itself. More needs to be done, whether it’s about the punishment and the way you respond to it or how you proactively deal with these types of things.
“I think the blame is being put more on Vini because of maybe his playing style and the way he likes to express himself, and I don’t think that’s fair. The game would miss players like Vini if he decided to take a break because of this thing. More needs to be done to support these players. It’s sad to hear because I personally get to know the guys very well.
‘Nobody deserves something like that. It’s definitely a call for the people in charge to take control. I doubt that will happen. It’ll be something I imagine we’ll still have to deal with playing games. But it’s one of those things where you just have to play your game and hope people take care of you, and they’re not doing that well enough right now.”
Bellingham did not speak to the press during his time in England, so it was a glimpse into the world of a young player with strong views, with the ex-Birmingham player answering every question thrown at him.
He wore headphones with an interpreter to understand Spanish journalists, although he said this was because they were speaking too fast. Because in just ten months since moving from Borussia Dortmund, he has really settled into life in Spain – including the language.
His goal streak has only slowed after an ankle injury disrupted his rhythm, along with a two-match ban for a red card. He still has a record to his name in the City clash of three goals in nine games, which would make many other midfielders happy.
‘My game is more than goals’
After spending part of the season at the center of Ancelotti’s attack, he is expected to score slightly deeper against City. “The injury killed my rhythm against Girona and I felt a bit of pain,” he said. “I finally got over the feeling, then played against Valencia and got suspended.
“It influenced my rhythm, early in the season I clearly felt what I was doing. But in the last matches my role has changed. I may lose that effectiveness, but I have to regain it. I take the criticism to heart.
“It’s not the scoring that worries me, it’s when we don’t win. My game is more than goals. It’s part of my game to add a wide range of skills. I love to score goals and I understand that I can influence the game in different ways. I didn’t expect to score so many goals, but I want to score more. People asked me when I joined and I just wanted one, but I’m 20 now and hopefully I can get more before the end of the season.”
He may have only been at Real for 10 months, but he knows the pain of losing 4-0 to City last season. The Spaniards want to put that right this time.
“I talked to some guys who played last year, they all have the same feelings, it wasn’t fun,” Bellingham said. “I have suffered great losses. You have to regulate that emotion and it’s a new game. Don’t start 4-0 down, you have to be brave and come out to play.
“Everyone has been talking about them, three-time winners, and they are a great team, but that is the impression from the outside. I’m not a gambler, I’ve never been to a bookmaker, so I don’t know anything about betting favorites and stuff like that. But we are Real Madrid, we are a pretty good team ourselves and we have some brilliant players. Internally we have confidence and trust in what we have in the dressing room.”