'It Was A Surprise': Zizou Says Real Madrid Didn't Inform Him About Bellingham Taking His Shirt No

Jude Bellingham, the Real Madrid and England star is touted to become one of the greatest the sport has ever seen. Bellingham recently tasted the Champions League victory and he is likely to win many more accolades in the years to come. This was Bellingham's first UCL with the Los Blancos (The Whites) and this association is bound to reap many fruitful results for the club in the future. Former Real Madrid Manager and Legend Zinedine Zidane recalled an incident concerning Bellingham.

Zizou's Firm Belief In Bellingham

Bellingham, courtesy of his playing style and skillful tactics has always drawn comparisons with the French legend. Zinedine Zidane while speaking about the 21-year-old Englishmen played down all the comparisons. In 42 games across competitions, Bellingham scored staggering 23 goals and played a pivotal part for his club and nation with 13 assists. Bellingham can also be considered the Chief Architect of Madrid's second UCL title in three years. The Euro 2024 finalist scored a total of 19 goals and 6 assists in 28 La Liga games.

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Jude drawing comparisons with the Franch and Los Blancos legend is no coincidence. The 21-year-old Englishman, after arriving at the Bernabéu inherited Zidane's iconic number 5 shirt, but was quick enough to play down comparisons with the former Madrid Manager. Zidane has now spoken about all the comparisons and took the opportunity to praise the Englishmen. Bellingham recently lost the Euro 2024 Final as Spain ousted England by 2-1.

Zizou Said:

Jude Bellingham compared to me? Each one is what he is. I think he is going to be a different player. Apart from the No. 5 that we both wear, technically he may be similar, but we don't have to compare. . We saw something this year, but I think in the future we are going to see a very strong Jude Bellingham who is going to be Real Madrid history. Did I know that Bellingham will take #5? I didn’t know. It was a surprise, but a good surprise.

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Bellingham vs Zindane: The First Year At Bernabéu

Bellingham has started 40 times for Madrid in his first season at the club, while Zidane started 48 times. Zidane had kickstarted 'The Galactico Era' for the Los Blancos in the summer of 2001 after his transfer from Juventus.