"Thought we had him in the bag!" - Manchester United icon admits he did a 'rubbish job' while trying to convince Jude Bellingham to join Red Devils
English midfielder Jude Bellingham joined Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham City in 2020 and continued with the Bundesliga club till 2023. He came up as a promising prospect from Birmingham City.
Prior to joining Dortmund, Premier League giants Manchester United were also looking to sign young talent. Former Red Devils' midfielder Bryan Robson opened up about his meeting with Bellingham at Carrington, expressing the regret of not being able to sign him. He told The Telegraph via Utd District:
“It was really disappointing. We were at Carrington and Sir Alex Ferguson was there a little earlier than I was, but Eric [Cantona] and I met him, and his mum and dad, and we were chatting away."
Bryan Robson blamed French icon Eric Cantona, mentioning he didn't do well in bringing Jude Bellingham to the Red Devils. Robson said:
"It was really looking promising that he was going to be signing for #mufc... me and Eric did a rubbish job as he signed for Borussia! We thought we had him in the bag!"
Bryan Robson joined Manchester United in 1981 and was with the Red Devils till 1994. During his tenure, he won the Premier League twice (1992–93 and 1993–94) and the FA Cup thrice (1982–83, 1984–85, and 1989–90). He also won the FA Charity Shield twice (1983 and 1993), the 1991–92 League Cup and the 1990–91 European Cup Winners' Cup.
Jude Bellingham's time at Real Madrid
During his time at Borussia Dortmund, Jude Bellingham won the 2020–21 DFB-Pokal and bagged the 2022–23 Bundesliga Player of the Season award. He then joined Real Madrid in 2023 for €103 million and has already won the 2023–24 Supercopa de España with Los Blancos.
He was also awarded La Liga Player of the Month twice (August and October) last year. Jude Bellingham has scored 20 goals and provided 10 assists in 33 games across competitions this season.
Real Madrid are currently topping the La Liga table with 75 points in 31 matches. They have one draw and four wins in their last five matches. They are eight points ahead of second-place Barcelona. Los Blancos face RCD Mallorca next in the league on April 13, 2024.
They also also alive in the UEFA Champions League, having drawn 3-3 after quarter-finals first leg against Manchester City on April 9.