Former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti likened Jude Bellingham to the legendary Brazilian playmaker Kaká during a staunch defense of the underfire England international.
Like so many starlets before him, Bellingham has been exposed to the fickle nature of British soccer fans over the past few months. Having been the darling of the nation as a rare example of an English player shining on the continent, the all-action focal point for Real Madrid has been increasingly singled out for his supposed arrogance.
Screaming “who else?” in celebration may come across as a little cocky, but Bellingham had just scored a stoppage-time equalizer with an outrageous overhead kick to spare England elimination in the knockout stages of the 2024 European Championships. Who else could actually have come up with that?
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Former England assistant coach Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink perfectly captured the confidence paradox in which Bellingham finds himself. “That is the problem a little bit with the English,” he told The Times this week. “You are allowed to be good but you are not allowed to have self-belief. And self-belief is sometimes taken as being arrogant.”
Ancelotti oversaw the best season of Bellingham’s young career in 2023–24 as the midfielder racked up a staggering 23 goals (and 13 assists) across all competitions to help Real Madrid win La Liga and the Champions League. The question of “arrogance” was never a factor for the Italian tactician.
“No, I never had a problem with Jude about his attitude,” Ancelotti told The Rest in Football. “He is really professional, really serious, works hard in training, like all English players do. And no, no complaints.”
When it came to Bellingham’s qualities on the pitch—which have been increasingly and bizarrely overlooked during the debate over his attitude—Ancelotti was similarly effusive in his praise.
“I think Jude is a fantastic player. If I have to compare, we were talking about Kaká.”
There are few attacking midfielders in the history of the sport that can match Kaká’s balletic quality. The 2007 Ballon d’Or winner claimed that year’s Champions League title with Ancelotti’s AC Milan side, adding the big-eared trophy to a cabinet already brimming with honors in Italy at the World Cup title with Brazil in 2002. Unlike Bellingham, Kaká never was able to replicate those heights at Real Madrid.
In fact, the English tyro needed 61 games to score more goals for the Spanish giants (30) than Kaká managed across 120 appearances (29) in all white.
“He is this kind of player, a really intelligent player, who is physically really strong, fantastic to arrive in the box at the right time,” Ancelotti gushed. “He’s doing really well, and maybe he had a problem with his shoulder. He was out for two or three months, now he’s back. No question mark. But why do you have to put a question mark on Bellingham?”
The current Brazil boss simply had no time for criticisms about “a good guy and a great player.”
The Bellingham debate is more of an Anglocentric phenomena than a question for Real Madrid—Xabi Alonso’s only issue with the talented all-rounder was rushing him back for the derby against Atlético too early. Since making his full return to fitness, Bellingham has routinely shone even amid a collective dip in form from the La Liga leaders.
Thomas Tuchel has not afforded Bellingham any special treatment—although the supposed tension between the two is wildly overblown. Nevertheless, tongues were set wagging once again when the Real Madrid star was only named on the bench for England’s World Cup qualifier against Serbia on Thursday night.
Tuchel quickly quashed any rumors of a rift by bluntly explaining that Bellingham’s omission was simply the consequence of tactical familiarity; Morgan Rogers was more familiar with the details of England’s pressing setup.
“It would be unfair for Jude to try to figure everything out because we changed our way of pressing in the last two camps,” Tuchel explained. “Declan [Rice], Morgan and Harry [Kane] did it already in three to four matches together. I figured they could adapt a bit quicker. Once we see the formation, we can give clear instructions to Phil [Foden] and Jude and bring them from the bench.”
For all of Rogers’s endeavor during his 65 minutes on the pitch, Bellingham made the most of his cameo, peppering the outing with his unique blend of grace and gusto which will surely make Tuchel think twice about naming him as a substitute again.
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