Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has pointed out the differences between Jude Bellingham and his idol Zinedine Zidane. As per the manager, Bellingham is a better goalscorer than Zidane, but he does not possess the individual quality that his idol did.
Ancelotti Says Zidane Had More “Individual Quality” Than Bellingham
Bellingham has enjoyed an explosive start to life at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, scoring 15 times and providing four assists in only 16 games across competitions. Even Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul, and Alfredo Di Stefano did not score as many when they started out at Real Madrid.
Bellingham has yet to draw comparisons with Ronaldo and Raul, but he has been pitted against his idol Zidane quite a few times over the course of the 2023-24 season. And after the 20-year-old clinched another Man of the Match Award in Wednesday’s (November 28) 4-2 win over Napoli, Ancelotti was asked to chime in on the matter.
Here is what the Italian tactician had to say (via Football-Espana):
“It’s difficult to compare two different generations. One of the differences that I see is that Bellingham arrives in the area in a way that Zidane did not have, and Zidane had an individual quality that Bellingham does not have. There is the difference, but this is modern football, which wants physically strong players like Bellingham, capable of covering the entire pitch very quickly.”
Real Madrid Boss Urges Jude Bellingham To Improve But Is Confident He Is Not A “Meteorite”
After ruling on the Bellingham-Zidane matter, Ancelotti said that the Kopa Trophy was not perfect, but allayed fears that he would fizzle out after a breathtaking start at the Bernabeu.
Ancelotti added:
“He is a serious, professional young man who feels very good and has adapted very well to the dressing room. He works, he gets on very well with the others. He has to improve his Spanish (smiles). As I have said many times, no one is perfect. He has to improve.
“He is 20 years old. He has surprised us and continues to surprise us all. It is not difficult to say that he will not be a meteorite [won’t crash and burn]. He has great talent. He is a modern player, ideal for today’s football, with intensity and the ability to cover all of the game very quickly.”
Bellingham has scored in each of his four games for Real Madrid in the Champions League. No Los Blancos player in history has been as consistent. It will be interesting to see how far he manages to stretch his purple patch.
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