Jude Bellingham aims to inspire Real Madrid towards European glory in the upcoming Champions League final at Wembley.
The Englishman has had a remarkable debut season in the Spanish capital, notching 23 goals and 12 assists across all competitions from midfield, thereby aiding his team to Liga glory. Bellingham now has the opportunity to cap off a dream campaign by securing a stunning 15th Champions League trophy for Real with a victory over Borussia Dortmund in the decisive encounter.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team stands as the clear favorite ahead of the showdown, boasting a history on their side, having clinched the competition’s trophy five times in the last 10 years. Should the 20-year-old midfielder secure his first European title against his former club, he could look to emulate one of the all-time greats in ushering in a new era of dominance for his side.
When Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Los Blancos for a then-world record transfer fee of €94 million in the summer of 2009, expectations were sky-high. The Spanish giants hoped the Portuguese icon would lead them to “La Decima,” their 10th Champions League title, after seven years of drought in their favorite competition. And it’s fair to say Ronaldo more than exceeded that goal by the time he departed Madrid for Juventus in 2018.
His final season at the club culminated in Real clinching their fourth European Cup in five years, finally putting an end to a 12-year wait for tournament glory when he lifted the trophy in 2014. Ronaldo unquestionably served as the talisman throughout this glorious period, leading the tournament’s goal-scoring charts in each of those years. Indeed, the same can be said of his entire tenure at the club, where the 39-year-old departed after becoming its all-time leading goal scorer, with 450 goals in just 438 matches.
He also secured four of his five Ballon d’Or awards at Madrid, cementing his status as one of football’s all-time greats. While Ronaldo was the star of his nine years at the Santiago Bernabeu, he was not short of world-class teammates alongside him as the club reached new heights. The forward formed a devastating attacking trio with Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, the winner of the 2022 Ballon d’Or.
Elsewhere, legendary defender Sergio Ramos and midfield maestros Luka Modric and Toni Kroos provided both security and stability to one of football’s most feared starting lineups. And if Bellingham is to take the reins from Ronaldo as Real’s next modern hero, he certainly has equally talented players around him to do so.
While Modric, at 39, and the retired Kroos may both be nearing the twilight of their careers, it’s the young talents of Los Blancos that leave fans with great optimism for the future. Bellingham is one of several exciting players under 25 at the Liga champions, including Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Eduardo Camavinga, and Aurelien Tchouameni. Brazilian prodigy Endrick is also set to join their ranks in July 2024, meaning there’s every chance Ancelotti’s group will continue to dominate Europe in the years ahead. Recent history suggests that Madrid likes to have a figurehead to lead them to success, and the English midfielder doesn’t need to look far for inspiration in that regard.
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