“It’s a fact, he’s doing it” - Rio Ferdinand names ‘better’ player out of Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and Chelsea star Cole Palmer
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has lavished praise on Cole Palmer for his attacking output while naming Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham the better player of the two.
Both players have been outstanding for their respective clubs this season. Bellingham has contributed 16 goals and four assists in La Liga while notching up four goals and assists each in the UEFA Champions League.
Meanwhile, Palmer has been brilliant in a struggling Blues side, who find themselves 11th in the Premier League standings at the moment. This season, Palmer has recorded 13 goals and eight assists in the English top-flight, thereby edging Bellingham in terms of goal contributions in their respective leagues.
Comparing the two, Ferdinand said on his podcast (via The Chelsea Chronicle):
"I think it's under 21 years old, he's got the most goal involvements over Jude Bellingham in Europe. It's a fact, he's doing it, he's doing it.
"I'm not saying he's better than Jude. He's nowhere near as good as Jude in my eyes. For every one goal that Jude scores, most other clubs it's probably three or four goals it counts as, you know what I mean? Because its Bernabeu, it's at the Bernabeu, it's at Real, it's different."
Bellingham has lived up to the reported €103 million that Real Madrid signed him for in the summer of 2023. His contributions have helped Los Blancos to the top of the league standings, where Bellingham's side are eight points clear of second-placed Barcelona.
Chelsea willing to sell Reece James, amid Real Madrid links - Reports
Chelsea are reportedly willing to sell Reece James in the summer due to their Financial Fair Play struggles (via Football Espana). Real Madrid have shown an interest in the right-back as they look to replace an ageing Dani Carvajal.
Despite Los Blancos' interest, there may be concerns surrounding the full-back's fitness. James is currently injured and has missed a total of 31 matches across competitions this season due to fitness-related problems.
Although this may be a worrying sign, the England international is considered among the world's best right-backs because of his abilities in defense and attack. Overall, he's made 156 senior appearances for Chelsea, bagging 11 goals and 21 assists across competitions.
James managed to win the UEFA Champions League with the west Londoners in the 2020/21 season and has one other trophy to his name at Stamford Bridge.