Bellingham of Real Madrid: “I’m 10 times better than at Dortmund.”
Jude Bellingham continued his stellar start to life at Real Madrid with two goals and an assist in their 3-1 LaLiga victory at Almeria on Saturday, saying that he was already “10-times better” than he was at Borussia Dortmund last season.
Bellingham has adapted swiftly to life in Madrid since leaving the Bundesliga club for €103 million ($112.2 million), scoring in their 2-0 victory over Athletic Club the previous weekend before his brace on Saturday at the Power Horse Stadium.
Bellingham said to Real Madrid TV, “I think I’m 10-times better as a player than last season. I’m picking up tips from these players. I’m sucking everything in like a sponge since the level here is so high.
Early on, Sergio Arribas gave Almeria the lead. However, Bellingham quickly equalized from close range in the 19th minute, and an hour later, with a header, he gave Madrid the lead before setting up Vincius Jnior for a late third.
When I was a child, I frequently watched Real Madrid comebacks on television, Bellingham continued. “I distinctly recall thinking, ‘They won’t be able to accomplish it,’ but ultimately they succeeded. Now that I’m here, I can see it. I never believed we would lose because I could not see any fear on the faces of the players.
After scoring his first goal of the season, Vinícius said he hopes his partnership with Bellingham can match the one he shared with former teammate Karim Benzema
Ballon d’Or winner Benzema formed a deadly strike duo with Vinicius — scoring a combined 73 league goals between them over the last two seasons — before leaving for Al Ittihad this summer.
“We have to keep going like that,” Vinicius told Real Madrid TV. “Jude is always scoring goals. With me and all of the team helping, we’ll have a lot of success this season… I hope it can be like my connection with Karim, which [gave us] a lot of goals and a lot of assists, and good football.”
Coach Carlo Ancelotti also praised the England star’s impact.
“It’s about the player’s maturity, and the personality he has,” Ancelotti said. “He was in Germany for three years. Those are the reasons why he’s adapting so well to LaLiga and to our style of play. He’s doing well.”
Bellingham’s goalscoring has helped ease doubts over whether Madrid’s squad contains enough attacking firepower after the departure of Benzema.
The club have brought in Joselu from Espanyol, but the Spain international is the only senior centre forward in the first team squad.
Ancelotti has responded by changing his formation, switching Madrid’s usual 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 with a midfield diamond and Bellingham playing behind Vinicius and Rodrygo Goes.
“Right now, [I have] no [doubts about the formation],” Ancelotti said. “We played with two lines of four and we felt comfortable. In defence it doesn’t allow you to control the wings, 먹튀검증토토사이트 but it gives us variety in attack.”