Pundit issues Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi warning, urges player to avoid distractions and focus on football
Former England defender Danny Mills has urged Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham to take a leaf out of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's book and keep his feet grounded. Bellingham enjoyed a superb first season at the Santiago Bernabeu last season.
Bellingham, 21, contributed 23 goals and 13 assists in 42 games across competitions as Los Blancos won three titles, including their second La Liga-UEFA Champions League double in three years.
His staggering exploits have elicited comparisons with Ronaldo and Messi, two of the game's best ever players, with many touting Bellingham as a future Ballon d'Or winner. However, Mills said that Bellingham is not yet the complete article, telling GOAL:
“I think you have to be careful. By all accounts he is a very grounded lad, but the media have hyped him up to be a Ballon d’Or winner and be magnificent. He has still got improvements to make in his game.
"He is a very young man. He still has a lot of room for improvement. He just needs to make sure that football comes first. All the adverts and all the sponsorship deals will come as secondary."
He concluded:
"First and foremost, be a great footballer. Just concentrate on that and worry about everything else afterwards.
"If not, it will be thrown at him. Ronaldo had it, Messi has had it at times. If you are a top player and you are courting the media and the press and the advertisements, you have to perform.”
The Real Madrid midfielder is coming off a Euro 2024 final with England, losing 2-1 to Spain.
How Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fared at their last international tournament
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi endured underwhelming outings at their respective last international tournaments. Ronaldo drew a blank in five games at Euro 2024 as Portugal crashed out in the quarter-final.
It marked the first time the 39-year-old went through a major tournament in 11 appearances without scoring. While the Real Madrid legend became the first player to appear in six Euros, he couldn't become the first to score in as many editions and also become the oldest-ever scorer in competition history.
Messi, meanwhile, fared only slightly better, scoring once in five games as Argentina defended their title at 2024 Copa America. It marked a record 45th title for club and country for the 37-year-old.