Jude Bellingham, the 19-year-old England international, has completed a sensational move from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid, making him the most expensive British player ever. Bellingham has already proven to be one of the most promising footballers in the world, with his performances for England at the 2022 World Cup demonstrating why he had so many suitors ahead of the transfer window. He has now been given the no.5 shirt, the same shirt his boyhood hero Zinedine Zidane wore when he was at the club.
Can Bellingham get to Zizou’s level, or even surpass it? TalkSPORT’s Tony Cascarino, who played against a young Zidane during his early career in France, believes that Bellingham can become an even better player than Zidane. Cascarino said on talkSPORT’s Weekend Sports Breakfast, “When you look at Zidane, Zidane was 6ft 1 and he was quick, but he didn’t look blisteringly, eye-catchingly quick. Bellingham’s like that. He’s got a long stride and, once he gets going, he’s moving past people. I think that’s the quality Zidane had. Is Bellingham as technically gifted as Zidane? No. But can he improve and become an even better player? Of course he can.”
Zidane played 227 games for Los Blancos between 2001 and 2006, netting 49 times in that time and assisting a whopping 69 goals too. He also represented France 108 times, one of which being against Cascarino’s Republic of Ireland, while they also faced each other in Ligue 1 when Cascarino played for Marseille and Zidane was at Bordeaux. The former striker has previously labelled Zidane as the best opposition player he’s ever faced.
Even so, Cascarino believes Bellingham already has qualities Zidane didn’t possess, despite being at the start of his career and playing far fewer games. “One thing he’s got over Zidane is he’s way more versatile,” Cascarino said. “Zidane was normally stuck more on the left wasn’t he as a midfielder and sometimes in a No.10 role.”
Bellingham has already proven he can step up on the biggest stage, with his performances for England at the 2022 World Cup. Fans will be intrigued to see how the £115 million signing [potentially, with add-ons] gets on at the Bernabeu, especially now that he has been given the no.5 shirt. Stepping into one of football’s greatest ever player’s shoes should be a tough challenge for a teenager, but Bellingham has already shown that he has the talent to succeed.
Headings:
– Introduction
– Bellingham’s Move to Real Madrid
– Bellingham’s Potential
– Cascarino’s Comparison to Zidane
– Zidane’s Career
– Bellingham’s Versatility
– Bellingham’s Performance at the World Cup
– Conclusion