Jude Bellingham was the match-winner for Real Madrid as they beat Juventus in the Champions League, and the midfielder had the perfect response to the disrespect from the England international.
Jude Bellingham perfectly responded to England’s scorn by scoring the winning goal for Real Madrid as they defeated Juventus in the Spanish capital.
The clash was a repeat of the 1998 and 2017 European Cup finals, and was decided by a close-range goal from the Englishman, who remains a talisman for Los Blancos. Real relinquished the European title last season, but started this year with three wins from three games.
His goal at the Bernabéu was his first of the season and comes at a time when Bellingham must prove his worth to England manager Thomas Tuchel with the World Cup looming in less than 12 months.
The 22-year-old said of his recent challenges: “I had shoulder surgery and was taken out of the national team… It’s nice to have moments where I can come back and enjoy my football.”
Bellingham’s individual performances were crucial to Real maintaining their perfect record in the Champions League, with head coach Xabi Alonso praising the midfielder’s competitive instincts and all-round play.
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“Jude had a really complete game, crossing the goal many times. I really liked the way he played against Getafe (Sunday) and also today’s goal. He has a very good feel for his competitiveness and how he creates dangerous situations. I’m happy for him. He has the skills and instincts to play at the business end of the pitch, but he’s also a box-to-box player. He’s one of the most complete players in the world.”
The England manager insists there are no personal issues with Bellingham and that the decision to leave him out of his latest squad was because he wanted to keep the bulk of the squad together after performing well during the September international break.
The Three Lions again won both games, raising questions as to whether Tuchel would stick with the team again. The England manager and Bellingham have not met in person since June. Bellingham was forced to apologize after saying his mother was sometimes “disgusted” by the Real star’s antics on the pitch.
Bellingham had to overcome an injury-interrupted start to the season that he has struggled with since 2023 when he dislocated his shoulder. The surgery will cause him to miss Real’s preseason and opening five games. He then played sporadically under Alonso as he returned to fitness.
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