Page 57 - Soccer360 Issue 104

BRILLIANT BELLINGHAM
THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT IT NOW – JUDE BELLINGHAM IS ONE OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD AND HE IS PROVING IT AT REAL MADRID. IAN WATERHOUSE LOOKS AT HIS SCINTILLATING START TO LIFE IN THE SPANISH CAPITAL.
Jude Bellingham
Real Madrid splashing the cash to land a statement signing is hardly new. Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard to name but a few have all been brought in to show the world that Real sit top of the global standings. The tactic has worked for Los Blancos with the trophy return substantial, so it was of little surprise when Real Madrid made clear their intention to sign English midfielder Jude Bellingham.
A princely sum of €103m was handed to Borussia Dortmund in the summer and the Three Lions superstar swapped the yellow of Dortmund for the white of Madrid. Big things were expected from the player who lit up the 2022 World Cup for England and who was deemed so talented that his first professional club Birmingham City retired his number 22 shirt in his honour after leaving for Germany aged just 17. So far, he has not disappointed. The first Real Madrid player to score on his
La Liga debut, Champions League debut and in El Clasico, he has also equalled Brazilian Ronaldo’s 27-year record of scoring 10 goals in his opening 10 La Liga games before turning 21. Ronaldo went on to score 47 goals in the 1996-97 campaign in all competitions for Real and already Bellingham is well on his way to potentially challenging that target. Unsurprisingly Bellingham has become a huge fan favourite for his complete skillset with
or without the ball alongside his undoubted leadership abilities as evidenced by becoming Borussia Dortmund’s youngest ever captain when just 19 years old. Tied into a six-year contract with Los Blancos, Jude Bellingham’s dream start to life in Spain is showing no signs of slowing down and with his whole career in front of him, who knows, one day he may even become a Ballon D’Or or possibly even World Cup winner.
Sevilla head coach Diego Alonso
Atletico Madrid´s midfielder Koke Resurreccion in action
ONLY THE SECOND
Sevilla boss Diego Alonso became only the second manager in LaLiga history to draw each of his first four games in the competition, after José Manuel Corral at Deportivo La Coruña in 1997.
BY THE PERCENTAGES
As of match week 14, Top 2 teams to have conceded the highest percentage of their goals in the first half of LaLiga matches in 2023/24:
Real Madrid: 67% (6/9) Barcelona: 64% (9/14).
600 SHOWINGS Koke is the
first player
to reach 600 appearances for Atletico Madrid.
with the first team and continued to show why he was - and is - considered one of the best prospects to come out of Barcelona’s legendary production line. Despite having to wait seven months to make his La Liga debut, when he did get on the pitch as an 83rd minute substitute for Gavi, he became the youngest player to appear for Barcelona at just 15 years, nine months and 16 days old.
Four months later he became Barca’s youngest ever starter having just turned 16 and in the very next game earned himself the player of the match award in a 4-3 victory over Villarreal. Already
a multiple record breaker and a goalscorer for Barcelona and Spain, it is no surprise the Catalan
Lasine Yamal became Barcelona’s youngest ever goalscorer
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