Jude Bellingham had a night for the ages at the Azteca, matching Diego Armanda Maradona's historic night 40 years ago in which he scored a brace against the Mexican national team. And Bellingham scored his as a midfielder in the span of less than 100 seconds, finishing like he was Harry Kane himself with two beautiful poaches after trademark, bombarding runs into the box.
Real Madrid fans have seen this scene unfold so many times, as Bellingham won Champions League and La Liga gold in his just his first season as a mere prospect in 2023/24, robbed of the Ballon d'Or despite also nearly willing a weaker England to a European Championship over Spain.
With his latest incredible performance of the 2026 World Cup, Bellingham has left no doubt that he is one of the world's finest footballers, and his former teammate and mentor in the midfield, Toni Kroos, had a simple statement to reflect the importance Jude has.
Jude Bellingham has arrived
Replying to a picture of Jude on Instagram, Kroos said, "Big time Player", as captured by the Madrid Zone.
Real Madrid fans will remember since Day One upon Bellingham's arrival from the Bundesliga, it was Toni Kroos who not only took Jude under his wing but also defended him against inane criticisms. Kroos has always said that Bellingham is one of the best players in the world, one of the best midfielders he has ever seen personally, and a big game player who raises his status in the most important moments.
Kroos has seen the very best come through Real Madrid, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric, and he knows that Jude Bellingham has that same Real Madrid DNA in every cell of his body, just as those guys did.
Jude and Toni won one Champions League title together, and Kroos knows that Jude is capable of winning so much more silverware. Now, Madridistas just hope that the organization sees the obvious, too, as Jude was being badly held back by subpar coaching, particularly from the entirely self absorbed Xabi Alonso - a great former Real Madrid midfielder who never accomplished half of what Jude already has and would have never been able to lace his boots.
Meanwhile, Toni Kroos is one of the few players who can measure up to Jude in quality, and he has no such jealousy. He knows Jude is here for the big time.
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