Jude Bellingham once revealed his ideal five-a-side team which included former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane.
Bellingham has taken the world by storm since his big-money move from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid, scoring 19 La Liga goals including two last-minute winners in El Classico.
The England star saw his form translated to the international stage as he grabbed two vital goals for Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024 which helped England reach their first-ever final on foreign soil.
Prior to his move to the Bernabeu, Bellingham named four players to line up alongside himself in a game of five-a-side while speaking to SportsJOE at the Sports Personality of the Year awards in 2021. Here is who he chose:
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Erling Haaland
“I’ll go with Erling [Haaland],” he said. “I just think he doesn’t care who he’s playing against, what stage it is, he just goes out there and does his thing.
“He’s not scared of being himself and that’s something I really admire about him.
“He’s a machine and he’ll keep it going for the next 15 years, I have no doubt.”
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Marco Reus
“I’ll go Marco [Reus], just because he’s my captain,” said Bellingham.
“I think he’s one of them players you have to rate, don’t you? I mean if you play FIFA, you rate him.
“When you look at how he plays a game, how smart he is, the positions that he picks up I think that’s what edges him in a lot of games and what helps him create the deciding moments for us.”
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Jadon Sancho
“Yeah I got there [moving to Borussia Dortmund] and from the first day, he was just looking after me, making sure I was always alright.
“His vibe is unmatched in the game, I think. I think the way he goes about his business, he plays with a style, off the pitch, he has a style.
“He’s got a great vibe and he’s really positive. I think it does rub off on a lot of the players."
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Zinedine Zidane
“You know what, I’ll go with [Zinedine] Zidane. I know I’ve obviously not played with him but I can’t stop watching clips of him.
“He’s probably my favourite midfielder. Him and [Steven] Gerrard are probably neck and neck. I’ve been watching a lot of Zidane recently.
“You talk about elegance, there’s players that score a goal a game and assist, but I think people have forgotten about the beautiful side of football where it’s not all about stats and you can just sit and watch them," he added.
Topics: Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid, England, Euro 2024, Erling Haaland, Marco Reus, Zinedine Zidane
Tom Jenkins