Zinedine Zidane is someone who knows what it takes to be a success at Real Madrid. He was one of the greatest players in the history of the game and during his seven years at Santiago Bernabeu, he won six trophies. As the manager of the club, he found even more success, winning eleven titles over the course of his two stints in the hot seat.
Jude Bellingham is someone who has admitted to idolising Zidane. So much so that he has taken his famous jersey number 5 at Real Madrid.
Bellingham has arrived in a big move from Borussia Dortmund this summer. And there are high hopes that he will be a stalwart in the middle of the park for Real Madrid for more than a decade to come.
At the same time though, one cannot overlook the pressure that comes with playing for Real Madrid and there is no guarantee of success, no matter how great the talent is. One has to look no further than the case Eden Hazard to recognise that things can go wrong.
Zidane makes superb claim about new Real Madrid signing
Zidane believes that Bellingham is ready to play for Real Madrid. As reported by Mundo Deportivo, he said in an interview with Telefoot:
"“He’s an important player, he’s a player with a great future and he’s ready to play for Real Madrid.”"
Bellingham is a supreme talent without doubt. At 19 years of age, he is already amongst the best midfielders in the world and is coming off of a Bundesliga Player of the Season-winning campaign, having almost inspired Borussia Dortmund to their first league title in over a decade.
Real Madrid have certainly signed one of the best young players in the game and even at his age, it feels like he will be a starter from the get go. And if he is able to reach his potential, it would not be a surprise to see him on the Ballon d’Or podium someday.