The best way to gauge Jude Bellingham’s impact on La Liga and the wider Spanish culture may have been to head down to the mixed zone at the Power Horse Stadium in Almeria on Saturday evening.
Real Madrid had just won their second La Liga match of the season 3-1 thanks to two more goals from the England midfielder, and a few minutes later, the Real players emerged from the away dressing room to make their way to the team bus.
There, a couple of local police officers were stood waiting. Their eyes locked on Bellingham, but it quickly became clear they were not there for work. The fact one of them was already holding his mobile phone in his hand was a clue and he was perfectly positioned for a quick selfie when the 20-year-old emerged from the stadium.
“Bellingham, a photo, Bellingham, a photo,” the other officer tried to intercept him, but Madrid’s blockbuster summer signing didn’t seem surprised. Later that night, more local police officers asked for a second of his time, a photo, and each time the Englishman obliged.
At record pace, Real Madrid’s big summer signing has become not only one of the leaders of the team but also a great reference point for the Madridistas.
“His growth in recent months on an organic level, on social networks and on Real Madrid Play (the club’s new in-house video platform) is very good because Bellingham understands the codes very well. And he’s not only growing because he’s at Madrid, but Madrid is growing because he’s at Real Madrid,” explained one source at the club, who prefers not to be named to protect relationships.
“He’s a very nice guy. Very nice. He is a young guy who adapts to the media and the new platforms. Also, as a good English player, he’s used to talking in front of the camera.”
That charisma, along with his talents with the ball, has helped him gain more than four million new Instagram followers in the two months since signing for Real Madrid, rising from 11.3 million to 15.4 million.
So, despite the distance and cultural differences to his native Birmingham, many Almerians didn’t think twice about heading to the stadium wearing Madrid shirts with ‘Bellingham 5’ on their backs. Not far away, the city fair was being held and Bellingham was present there, too, in the form of scarves and T-shirts featuring his face.
He seemed almost omnipresent before the game had even kicked off. When he did step onto the pitch for the first time, the midfielder was one of the most loudly acclaimed by the fans. When he was substituted on 81 minutes, it was more of the same, with Bellingham earning more applause than whistles even though he had just demolished the home side with two goals, one in each half, and celebrated the first of them by touching his ear and looking at the rival crowd, in the style of Erling Haaland.
However, that celebration did not raise fury in the stands and, after the final whistle, he mingled with fans waiting around the back of the stadium, giving away his shirt in another of the many gestures that define his character.
“The fans? I hope they’re enjoying watching me play. I love playing for them. It’s important to show them you care, whatever the result. If they’re happy, we’re all happy. I’m delighted with the reception they’ve given me and I hope I can keep giving them joy,” he told Real Madrid TV.
One dressing-room source, who confirms that Bellingham has fitted in at the Bernabeu without any problems, suggests they are shocked by the impact he has already had on the club.
“He’s unbelievable, he makes a difference on the pitch and he’s a guy with incredible heart. Really, a figure like that is important for Madrid and for football in general.”
So it was no surprise that Vinicius Junior, on scoring his team’s third and final goal with a brilliant little turn and finish just inside the area, imitated Bellingham’s celebration of 12 minutes earlier: arms outstretched and looking at the opposing fans. An image he would later edit to appear alongside Bellingham and post on his Instagram.
“Hopefully my connection with Bellingham will be like my connection with Karim (Benzema), that many goals and many assists and jogo bonito,” Vinicius Jr also commented on Real Madrid TV just as he left the dressing room.
When the Brazilian passed through the mixed zone, the only questions he was asked were about Bellingham and it was a similar story for pretty much every member of Madrid’s travelling party. In the space of a few weeks, the “Vinicius phenomenon” had been overshadowed by the “Bellingham phenomenon”.
Likewise, Carlo Ancelotti’s last few press conferences have always started with questions about the Englishman. He’s the exciting new player in the team and he’s already exceeding initial expectations.
“I’m 10 times better as a player than last season,” said Bellingham, to whom Ancelotti has given the reins of the team, placing him as a playmaker in a more eye-catching position and reinforcing the club’s commitment to a player central to their future plans.
His arrival, the club concludes, may not yet have translated into an immediate improvement in sponsorship deals, but it has opened a new window for Real Madrid to fans and markets that were previously less exploited — such as the UK.
(Top photo: Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
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