Jude Bellingham has taken Real Madrid and World Football by a storm right now!
He’s gathered 15 goals + 4 assists in just 16 games for Real Madrid breaking the records of Puskas, Di Stefano and Ronaldo himself. All of this while just recently turning 20 years old, with his entire career ahead of him.
What he’s doing is unheard of, perhaps only Ronaldo Fenomenon himself had a better start to the season than him as a 20 years old.
The differentiator however is his impact in the game, he’s truly bossing the free role at Madrid contrubuting in goals, assists, key passes, dribbles, crosses, headers, flicks, finishing, playmaking, 1-2 passing, off ball movements, interceptions, tackles, positioning, strength, dominating, work rate and even leadership… There is truly nothing that this boy can’t do!
I genuinely cannot point a single weakness in his game right now, he’s top of the charts for almost all attributes since the start of the season. So these achievements so far in the season brings the question, What is his ceiling as a footballer provided he continues this streak? Generational? All-Timer? GOAT candidate?
Gerrard, Lampard, Terry and so on, even Kane and Saka now, were/are all incredible players, but I’ve been desperate for an English player to really burst through and get into Balon Dor contention, 200 million transfer to Madrid level for ages. It was supposed to be Joe Cole back when he was 15 in the 1990s. It’s so exciting to see what Bellingham is doing.
Bro you had one. His name was Rooney. At 18 he looked dead cert to be in contention for baloon doors. Potential is a funny thing. Rooney had 1 world class season in a long career. Who would have thought that back in 2004?
I mean he often gets forgotten but Micheal owen was this level before injuries like ballon d’or worthy level hence he won one.
Rooney’s a great example, he, Ronaldo, Messi, even Modric, would have all been around at the same time back in 2004-2006 but CR7 and Messi pushed on to 55 goals in 55 matches seasons, multiple balon dor superstar status, Rooney hovered around a 8/10 elite level player. Don’t get me wrong, Rooney had an incredible career, but it’s the difference between being in the top 5 players of all time or being like 47th.
At the moment Bellingham is potentially on a top 10 goat trajectory, which is so exciting.
Rooney 47th all time is probably generous tbh.
Rooneys fitness didn’t do him any favours
Funnily enough, Owen himself has come out today or yesterday and said he never really was the best player even when he won that. Zidane, Kaka, Shevchenko, Brazilian Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, even Kahn, for me from the early 2000s. Shearer was better than Owen.
I certainly remember when Owen was on a trajectory to annihilate England’s record goalscorer target though, before it all soured.