Jude Bellingham is the first Real Madrid player to score in his first three games for the club since Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 20-year-old has hit the ground running in the Spanish capital following his £103m move from Borussia Dortmund, and bagged the winning goal for Madrid in their narrow 1-0 win over Celta Vigo on Friday night.
Los Blancos’ night hadn’t been going too well after losing Vinicius Junior to injury, and they headed into the final ten minutes of the game having failed to break the deadlock. But Bellingham popped up to score his fourth goal for the club, with his 81st minute header making him the first Real Madrid player since Ronaldo to net in their first three outings for the club.
Bellingham got off the mark for Madrid when he netted in the 2-0 opening day win over Athletic Club, and he followed that impressive debut up by bagging a brace in the 3-1 win at Almeria.
The goals started to flow for Bellingham at Dortmund last year when he transitioned into a more forward-thinking midfield role. His first two seasons in the Bundesliga, which saw him establish a regular place in the side aged just 17, yielded just four goals in 62 games, though he also found the back of the net a further six times in cup and European competition.
Last season was a turning point as he scored eight Bundesliga goals and 14 in all competitions, at a rate of one goal every three games.
His ability in the final third has even persuaded Carlo Ancelotti that a goalscorer is not required at this stage to replace Karim Benzema, with the Italian saying before Bellingham’s latest goal: “We believe that the arrival of Bellingham covers the absence of Karim.
“He is a serious, mature boy with a lot of quality. What he is doing is not surprising to those of us who know him, what is surprising is that he is only 20 years old.”
Toni Kroos has echoed Ancelotti’s sentiments about Bellingham, saying of the Englishman: “It was indicated in the preparation, where he did really well. He’s integrated surprisingly well in such a short time.
“I have a very good feeling about him because I think he’s incredibly mature for his age – not just mentally, that he’s already very far, but also with the way he plays football. He’s very, very far, doesn’t do hara-kiri things, is always clear in his actions, works, tries to play to his strengths to the full.
“A lot of other people at that age still make a lot of hara-kiri, a lot of technical and tactical mistakes. You don’t see that much with him. So far I have to say that he is already an absolute asset to our game. That means something, because we’re not a completely blind team. The fact that a 20-year-old enriches us right from the start is a good sign.”
What we know
- Bellingham scored Real Madrid’s winner against Celta Vigo on Friday night
- 20-year-old has hit the ground running in Spain after £103m move
- Four goals in three games a feat that matches the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo
