After Jude Bellingham’s standout performance in Real Madrid’s 4-2 Champions League victory over Napoli on Wednesday, Carlo Ancelotti drew a favourable comparison between the young midfielder and Zinedine Zidane.
Bellingham’s decisive header elevated Madrid to a 2-1 lead in the Group C match at the Santiago Bernabeu, responding to Giovanni Simeone’s opening goal for Napoli and Rodrygo’s equaliser for the hosts.
Although Napoli’s Frank Zambo Anguissa levelled the score at 2-2 after halftime, Madrid’s Nico Paz, a young talent, restored the lead before Bellingham assisted Joselu in securing the victory during added time.
“It’s difficult to compare two different generations,” Ancelotti said in his post-match news conference when asked about comparisons with Zidane, who was watching the game at the Bernabeu.
“What I see is [Bellingham’s] ability to get into the box. Zidane didn’t have that. And the individual quality that Zidane had, Bellingham doesn’t have.
“But that’s modern football. Modern football requires physical players like Bellingham, who can cover a lot of the pitch quickly.”
The England international has now scored 15 goals in 16 games for Real Madrid, finding the net in every Champions League appearance for the club so far.
“It looked like he was very tired in the middle of the second half,” Ancelotti said. “He took 10 minutes to recover and then in the last 15 minutes, he made the difference to help us win. It’s surprising. I don’t think anybody could have imagined his adaptation to this style of football for this club.
“He surprises every day, in every game. Not just us; he’s surprising everybody. [Bellingham] is a gift for football. His coach and his teammates are delighted with him, and the fans are delighted with him, but everybody is delighted to see a player with this potential and this positive image.”
Following Joselu’s 94th-minute goal, where he had previously missed several opportunities, Bellingham urged his teammate to bask in the applause of the Bernabeu crowd.
“Bellingham is a young, serious professional,” Ancelotti said. “He’s adapted well to the dressing room. He has to improve his Spanish. As I’ve said many times, nobody is perfect!”
In-form Madrid striker Rodrygo said, “I don’t even have the words,” when asked to describe Bellingham’s impact. “It’s a pleasure to play with him.”
Securing a 4-2 victory ensures that Madrid will progress to the Champions League round of 16 as group winners, boasting a flawless record of five wins in as many matches.
Despite grappling with an injury crisis that has left eight players unavailable to Coach Ancelotti, Madrid sits comfortably at the top of the La Liga table. The team is set to host Granada on Saturday.