"I love watching him" - Graeme Souness lavishes praise on Real Madrid star, calls him the 'real deal'
Former Scotland international Graeme Souness has heaped praise on Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham after England's latest UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier win.
The Three Lions beat Scotland 3-1 at Hampden Park on Tuesday (September 12) as Bellingham grabbed a goal and an assist. Phil Foden opened the scoring in the 32nd minute before Bellingham finished off a first-time shot inside the box three minutes later.
The Real Madrid superstar's best moment of the game came in the 81st minute when he engaged three Scotland players before picking out Harry Kane with an inch-perfect pass. The Bayern Munich hitman made no mistake with his finish to seal the 3-1 scoreline.
After the game, Souness said on Channel 4 (h/t BBC):
"For a young man to have that kind of football brain, I love watching him. Jude Bellingham is the real deal."
Bellingham started as the No. 10 in what looked like a 4-2-3-1 formation from Gareth Southgate's side on paper. He managed two shots on target and key passes each and recorded an 88% success rate from 34 attempted passes.
The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder also completed four out of the five dribbles he attempted before being substituted in the 84th minute. He now has two goals and three assists in 25 appearances for the Three Lions at the age of just 20.
England teammate lavishes praise on Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham after win against Scotland
Phil Foden was on target as England beat Scotland to cement their place at the top of Group C of the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
They now have 13 points from five matches and lead second-placed Italy by six points, having played one more game. After the game, Foden was full of praise for Jude Bellingham, who was arguably the standout player for Gareth Southgate's team.
The Manchester City playmaker said (h/t BBC):
"He's [Bellingham] so mature for his age, an unreal talent, a massive talent and important for us with the way we play. We need Jude a lot and it's a pleasure to play with him and we link-up really well."
Bellingham is also impressing heavily at his new club. He has taken to La Liga like fish to water since his €103 million transfer to Real Madrid this summer and has registered five goals in four league games.
This includes late winners against Getafe and Levante in his last two games before the international break. Before the end of the summer transfer window, Carlo Ancelotti surprisingly claimed Bellingham could fill the void left by legendary striker Karim Benzema.
So far, the English midfielder has had no problem doing that and is currently leading the race for the Pichichi trophy.