Jude Bellingham joined Real Madrid for an initial £88m this summer after Liverpool withdrew interest back in April
Liverpool’s long-awaited midfield revamp proved to be a drawn-out, rocky rollercoaster ride - albeit a successful one in the end.
And while Endo and Gravenberch’s game-time has been limited in comparison, with the jury still out on the Japan international as a result, the Dutchman has been able to demonstrate promising glimpses to again reassure Kopites that the future is bright. A reminder that Bellingham is still only 20 years old. As astonishing as this start to his Real Madrid career has been, it is only the beginning.
Klopp might have vowed to turn doubters into believers when taking over as Liverpool manager in October 2015, but supporters were handed an unwanted reality check in April 2023 when the Reds withdrew from the race to sign Bellingham. Unable to rely on future Champions League riches, they felt they would be priced out of a deal and needed to spread their funds over multiple engine-room recruits rather than one marquee addition.
“It means a lot to join this club… The reason why I said it’s the proudest day of my life is because it is the greatest football club in the history of the game,” he told reporters back in June. “Not many players get the opportunity to play at such a brilliant club, such an historic club. “It wasn’t a case of the other teams are bad or they weren’t good, it’s just for me, Madrid are the greatest. The respect that England has for Real Madrid is so high. The pedigree in Europe is the best, simple as.
“It was 12-15 months ago maybe. When he said that, goosebumps really. My heart was close to stopping. It’s something you don’t expect growing up, to play for a team like this. When it actually manifests itself, it’s such an extraordinary feeling. “But I couldn’t turn down Real Madrid really. The club is so big. It just felt like the right move for me. It’s not because the other clubs are bad, nothing like that, it's just because Real Madrid is where I wanted to be.”
Now unleashed as a number 10 for both club and country, Bellingham’s goal contributions demonstrate his new role accordingly. It is akin to just putting your best player upfront at amateur level, but to be doing after rocking up at Real Madrid, for many the pinnacle of club football, is astonishing.
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