"He can disappear very quickly like Theo Walcott" - Former Manchester United star sends strong warning to Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham
Football pundit Paul Parker believes midfielder Jude Bellingham can do without the excessive attention that he has been getting since joining Real Madrid. The former Manchester United player blamed the English media for overhyping the Madrid star.
Speaking to MyBetttingsSites, Parker labelled the English media 'crazy' while highlighting how Bellingham still had a long way to go. He said:
“Jude has done very well, but I don’t think he needs all this attention, looking at how he is conducting himself on the pitch. Everyone is trying to make him bigger than he is and make him into something that he is not. I heard people saying he is a better midfielder for England than Bryan Robson was.
"That’s the status they are trying to give him already. The English media are crazy in that sense. They are not respecting his age. It’s not easy for him, and he can disappear very quickly like we saw with Theo Walcott.”
Jude Bellingham joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2023 from Borussia Dortmund. He has since scored 23 and assisted 15 goals for the Spanish giants and helped them win the UEFA Champions League and La Liga.
FIFPro give warning about Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham
FIFPro, the worldwide representative organisation for professional footballers, recently highlighted how Jude Bellingham has played too many top-flight games for a 21-year-old.
Their report read:
“By the end of the 2023/24 season, Bellingham had played over 250 first-team appearances across club and national team (over 19,000 minutes),” the report found. It should not be forgotten that Bellingham only turned 21 on the 29th of June 2024 and his remarkable number of appearances made so far in his career has stemmed from not only playing a lot in each season but also receiving substantial first-team minutes at 16 whilst at Birmingham City. This over-exposure at an early age not only has a risk of physical burnout, but the pressure to constantly perform at a high level can impact a young player’s mental health, as well."
FIFPro have claimed that the Real Madrid star could play over 1200 matches in his career – which is significantly more than Frank Lampard, who finished with 1002 appearances under his belt.