“Born to play for Real Madrid” – Vinicius Jr expresses delight over being teammates with 20-year-old star
Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr. recently shared his delight in playing with midfielder Jude Bellingham this season and hoped for many more years together.
Los Blancos hammered Osasuna 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga on Saturday, October 7. Bellingham opened the scoring in the ninth minute before adding another in the 54th minute. Vinicius then scored their third goal in the 65th minute before Joselu completed the scoring in the 70th minute.
After the game, Vinicius was asked about playing with Bellingham and he replied (via Football Espana):
“Bellingham was born to play for Real Madrid. I hope we will play together for many years. We are all very happy to have him as a teammate.”
Bellingham arrived at the Bernabeu from Borussia Dortmund for over €100 million in the summer. The 20-year-old has settled in incredibly well at the club so far, having scored 10 goals and provided three assists in 10 games across competitions.
The England international has scored a number of late winners this season, helping Real Madrid maintain their position at the top of La Liga table.
Carlo Ancelotti heaps praise on Jude Bellingham after Real Madrid's win over Osasuna
After Los Blancos let Karim Benzema leave in the summer, there were questions raised about their goalscoring abilities. They also didn't sign a proper No. 9 except bringing in Joselu on loan from Espanyol, which led to further concerns among the club's fans.
However, Jude Bellingham has stepped up brilliantly this season and has been Real Madrid's main threat in front of goal. Primarily a central midfielder, the Englishman has played in a much-advanced role for Los Blancos.
After the Merengues' 4-0 win over Osasuna, Carlo Ancelotti touched upon the freedom for Bellingham to play anywhere on the pitch, saying (via Managing Madrid):
“It’s the same as always. He’s finding a lot of possibilities in attack, he’s very involved, I’ve told him that he doesn’t have a fixed position and that’s benefitting him. He’s attacking from deep and it’s been a surprising start to the season, nobody expected this level in terms of goals.”
When asked why opponents are struggling to stop Bellingham, Ancelotti replied:
“I think it’s easier to study a position who plays in a fixed position. He plays out wide, deep, central, he makes it harder. He can be deep and his physical strength means that he can arrive quickly. Understanding his position and controlling him isn’t so easy.”
Bellingham's exploits have helped Real Madrid win nine of their 10 games across competitions this season. He will next be in action with England against Australia in a friendly on Friday, October 13.