A former Real player thinks Jude Bellingham has already stood out more than Zinedine Zidane.
Former Real Madrid defender Aitor Karanka has just expressed his admiration for Jude Bellingham. He is particularly impressed by his immediate impact on the Bernabeu side.
‘Zidane wasn’t as good as Bellingham’
Karanka, who won three Champions Leagues with Real Madrid from 1997 to 2002, even went so far as to say that the English nugget is more deserving than Zidane and Figo. “I wasn’t surprised by the transfer at all, but maybe a little surprised by how quickly he did what he did, the Basque declared to the Mirror. I played with Figo and Zidane, and even for them it took time. I remember when Zizou arrived, he wasn’t as good in the first month or two as he was at Juventus.
A judgment that is justified because, in fact, Zizou had difficulty during his first weeks at Casa Blanca. It took him a while to come out on top and also score his first goal with the white tunic.
Beyond his ease of adaptation, Karanka also said he was charmed by Bellingham because of his maturity. “But with Jude’s personality and character, it feels like he’s been playing for Real Madrid for ten years. No other club is like this one. When I played there, there were some top players, but they were all older. Today they are 20 years old.”
photo credit: Panoramic
Bellingham wears the same number as Zidane at Real
“The only one I can think of is Raul, who started when he was 18 or 19. But, when you’re as young as Jude, it’s hard to find someone who’s been as successful as him.”, he concluded. This is perhaps precisely the reason why the Kopa trophy was awarded to the former Dortmund member this year.
