"Absolutely fantastic" - Micah Richards believes Real Madrid superstar will win the Ballon d'Or in the future
Micah Richards believes Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham will win the Ballon d'Or award in the near future.
The English superstar was at his scintillating best in his team's 3-2 UEFA Champions League win against Napoli on Tuesday (3 October). He assisted Vinicius Junior's 27th-minute goal which canceled out Leo Skiri Ostigard's early opener.
Seven minutes later, Bellingham went on a brilliant solo run to hand his team the advantage. Alex Meret's own goal in the 78th minute, which resulted from a stunning long-range effort from Federico Valverde, sealed the 3-1 scoreline in Naples.
After being awarded the Player of the Match award, Bellingham was being interviewed at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. The interviewer compared him to Jamie Carragher when defending and Thierry Henry when attacking, to which the 20-year-old replied, via CBS Sports (h/t TheBootRoom):
"Not Micah [Richards], no?"
Richards, who made 13 international appearances for England between 2006 and 2012, said:
"I love you Jude [Bellingham], you’re absolutely fantastic. Ballon d’Or is coming your way. Remember I said it first."
Real Madrid paid €103 million this summer to bring Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund to the Santiago Bernabeu. He has lived up to his price tag so far, scoring eight goals and providing three assists in nine games across competitions this term.
Ronaldo Nazario is still the youngest player to win the Ballon d'Or award, doing so in 1997 when he was 21 years old. Bellingham could make that record his own if he wins the award later this year.
However, treble-winner Erling Haaland and FIFA World Cup winner Lionel Messi are thought to be two of the heavy favorites for the trophy.
Carlo Ancelotti happy with 'fantastic' Real Madrid legend despite lack of minutes
When Luka Modric signed a one-year extension this summer, it was believed that his playing time at Real Madrid would reduce in the following season.
That has been the case so far. The Croatian superstar was an unused substitute in his team's last two games before the win against Napoli. Even against the Italian agents, he was accorded just 25 minutes of action.
Speaking about the 38-year-old's role in the win against Napoli, Carlo Ancelotti said, via the club's official website:
"He did what we expected him to do: to use his experience to help the team. He played 30 minutes at a high level and that means he's motivated and can contribute. That's what the coach asks of a player who is not playing. He's been fantastic in that respect."
Modric is a bona fide Los Blancos legend, registering 37 goals and 77 assists in 496 appearances since joining the club from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012 for €35 million.