Cristiano Ronaldo has heaped big praise on England starboy Jude Bellingham, saying he reminds him of a particular world-cup-winning Real Madrid legend.
In an interview with La Sexta, Ronaldo spoke at length on a variety of topics, from Mbappé to Erik Ten Hag. But when asked for his thoughts on the midfielder, Ronaldo didn’t shy away from bestowing a huge compliment.
GettyRonaldo has drawn comparisons between Bellingham and Zidane[/caption]
When asked by host Edu Aguirre whether he was a fan of the 21-year-old Brum, Ronaldo said: “I think he also has a spectacular future. He will help Real Madrid a lot.
“He has a long way to go. He reminds me a lot of Zidane. He has a big future.”
When quizzed further on the comparison, with Aguirre suggesting they share a running style and that Bellingham is perhaps stronger than Zizou but has less quality, Ronaldo said: “Zidane was amazing, a beautiful player, but Bellingham is 21-years old.
“He’s got his whole future ahead of him. He will give a lot to Madrid, because the boy, I think he will be extraordinary.”
Since Bellingham arrived in the Spanish capital donning Zinédine Zidane’s iconic number 5 shirt, endless comparisons have been drawn between the two.
Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti, who famously managed the French midfielder during his time at Juventus, made the same point in February last season after a win against Girona.
He told the media: “There are things about the way he plays that remind me of Zidane, it’s his extraordinary quality on the ball.”
Quickly becoming a fan favourite, with fans singing The Beatles’ track Hey Jude every time he scores a goal, he became a club hero with a screamer to equalise against bitter rivals Barcelona last season, followed by a 91st-minute winner – not to forget the winner he scored in the return leg later in the season to make it 3-2, again in stoppage time.
Although not of the same magnitude, these key goals were evocative of Zidane’s time playing in Madrid, echoing Zidane’s iconic volley against Bayern Leverkusen to win the Champions League in 2002.
Bellingham’s box-to-box heroics saw him, like Zidane, win a Champions league in his first season at the club. This as well as a La Liga title and third place finish in the Ballon D’or cemented the English youngster as a global superstar.
And, remarkably, he isn’t too far off the Frenchman’s stats for Los Blancos. During his time at the European giants Zidane made 227 appearances, scored 49 goals and made 67 assists.
Bellingham on the other hand has 33 goals and 23 assists in 73 appearances for Real Madrid.
This season Bellingham has dropped back positionally, driving link up with the prolific forwards around him. His silky backheel to assist Rodrygo in Real Madrid’s 5-1 routing of RB
Salzburg again demonstrated the similarities between the two, highlighting his capacity to read the game and outwit defenders with simple yet dazzling technique.
Zidane – too – has had nothing but praise for the young galactico.
“He’s an unbelievable player who does incredible things. You could have imagined what he was going to do, but he’s surpassed all the statistics with what he’s doing,” said Zidane last season.
GettyThe England midfielder has netted 33 goals and 23 assists in 73 matches for Los Blancos[/caption]
“Don’t forget that he’s only 20 years old. He arrived at Real Madrid with a lot of desire, a lot of goals and he is setting the bar very high.
“He’s just showing everyone what he is and it’s great to see him like that.
“I’m a big fan of his and now we want him to win trophies with Real Madrid. It’s everything he wanted for himself.”