Staff Writer
Jude Bellingham completed his move to Real Madrid on Thursday after inking a six-year contract with Europe’s most successful team, while holding aloft the same No. 5 shirt originally worn by Zinedine Zidane.
Bellingham signed the deal with club president Florentino Pérez after passing his medical exam and posing with his new jersey in front of Madrid’s crowded trophy case.
After wearing 22 with his previous teams, Bellingham remarked of his new No. 5, “I have said in many interviews how much I admire Zinedene Zidane.” “I am not trying to be the same as him, I am just trying to be Jude,” she said, “but it is definitely a bit of an homage to how great he was.”
Bellingham chose to switch to the Spanish club that has won the European Cup a record 14 times, despite apparently being a transfer target for other big European clubs, including Manchester City and Manchester United.
While pointing out that other clubs were interested in Bellingham, Pérez labeled him one of the “best players in the world” and said that Bellingham was “here because this is where he wanted to be.”
Madrid did not confirm the transfer cost, but Dortmund stated last week that it could exceed 130 million euros ($139 million) in a statement to the stock exchange.
In 2020, Bellingham transferred from Birmingham of the English second tier to Dortmund. After Dortmund’s three-year tenure came to an end when Bayern Munich won the German championship on goal differential, he left the club. He made his England debut in 2020, and he has since played 24 times for his country.
As it tries to win back the Champions League and Spanish league championships it lost last year, Madrid has also completed minor agreements to purchase back former players Brahim Daz and Fran Garca.
After Benzema departs for Saudi Arabia, the dominant squad is anticipated to make another significant acquisition. Harry Kane from Tottenham and Kylian Mbappé from Paris Saint-Germain have been linked to moves to Madrid.
