Florentino Perez makes bold Jude Bellingham claims at Real Madrid unveiling
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has welcomed midfielder Jude Bellingham to the club with open arms, terming him one of the best players in the world. Bellingham joins Madrid on a six-year deal and reportedly cost them €103 million in transfer fees, which could rise up to €133.9 million with add-ons.
The Englishman was believed to be on Liverpool and Manchester City's radars as well, with the former reportedly the front-runners for his signature at one point. However, Real Madrid acted quickly to get the deal through and announced his signing from Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, June 14.
During his unveiling, club president Florentino Perez stressed that Bellingham could have joined other interested clubs but he chose Los Blancos over others. He said (via @theMadridZone):
"One of the best players in the world joins us today. He has chosen to join Real Madrid. Welcome to Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham!"
Perez added:
“Jude is here because he wanted it, he could’ve gone to any other club but he chose to be here. So welcome and thank you for your ambition.”
🗣️ Florentino Perez: “Jude is here because he wanted it, he could’ve gone to any other club but he chose to be here. So welcome and thank you for your ambition.” https://t.co/TRA2A5ib91
Bellingham also had his say on joining Real Madrid.
"Thank you for joining me on the proudest day of my life, the day I joined the greatest football club in the history of the game," the midfielder said.
Bellingham has been given the #5 jersey at Real Madrid, previously donned by club legend Zinedine Zidane.
Jude Bellingham grew into a formidable force at Borussia Dortmund
Jude Bellingham had joined Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham City as a 17-year-old in the 2020 summer transfer window. In Germany, he grew into one of the best midfielders in Europe and also became an integral part of Gareth Southgate's England side.
"Thank you to everyone at BVB [Dortmund] and to the fans for everything over the past three years. It's been an honor to wear your jersey so many times, in big and small moments," he said after his move to Real Madrid was made official (via BBC).
"Even though I look forward to my next destination, I will never forget the journey there. Once a Borusse, always a Borusse. All the best for the future," he added.
In all, Bellingham made 132 appearances for Dortmund across competitions, scoring 24 and assisting 25 goals. The 19-year-old won the 2020/21 German Cup with them.