Jude Bellingham is bathed in gold with the first Real Madrid Golden Boy
Turin was the city that saw Jude Bellingham collect the first major personal title of his sporting career. The new Real Madrid sensation and, who knows, if the player who can stop the arrival of Mbappé, lifted the Golden Boy in the OGR hall of the Italian city with 97% of the votes. A trophy that joins the Kopa presented to him by France Football a few weeks ago.
The award is a small prize after a spectacular start to the season that has made him top scorer in the Spanish league, but it is only fair to point out that Bellingham picks up this award for his career last season at Borussia Dortmund where he scored 14 goals in 42 games before signing for Blancos.
The Englishman took the floor with British savoir-faire and said: "I don't think I'm the best. It's an honour to be talked about for the Ballon d'Or. I'm in the best team in the world. We play to win every game. It's a pleasure to play for Real Madrid. The pressure is strong both in the national team and in the team. All the players I play with are top players and I have a very big list of idols. A big influence on me was Wayne Rooney".
Bellingham has been named Silver Boy for the past two seasons behind Pedri and Gavi, both Barcelona players, but this year it was the Englishman's turn to give Real Madrid their first Golden Boy as a club as the award has never gone to a Real Madrid player since 2003. Behind them were Alejandro Balde (Barcelona), Musiala (Bayern) and Antonio Silva (Benfica).
The influence that the award and Bellingham himself can have on young people is evident in a society where football is played by millions of children. The Englishman commented: "I am very lucky to play football. Otherwise I would be at university now. I thank my family for instilling the sport in me from a young age. Without football, I wouldn't be the same person".
In view of the great season he is having and the comparison with other greats such as Zidane or Kaká, Jude Belligham is called to lead the new batch of young white talents alongside Vinicius, Rodrygo, Tchouaméni, Camavinga or Endrick, who is likely to wear white next season.
But Real Madrid did not go alone with the Golden Boy of Bellingham, Emilio Butragueño also went to collect the same trophy for Linda Caicedo, the Colombian player under Alberto Toril in the women's team who was unable to attend due to the serious injury she picked up in the Clásico on her right ankle.
After this title, the Englishman is left to take charge of a depleted Real Madrid side that has also lost Carvajal and is suffering from a plague of injuries. This does not prevent them from remaining first in La Liga and qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League, a title that Bellingham has already set his sights on to continue making history in white.
