The Englishman was Real Madrid’s hero in the previous game against Barcelona in Catalonia and he’ll now have the chance to play this rivalry match in front of his own fans.
Although Jude Bellingham has already played Barcelona twice as a Real Madrid player and won on both occasions, Sunday’s game at the Bernabeu will be extra special for him. It will be his first Clasico in front of his home fans and he will finally enjoy the experience of a Real Madrid-Barcelona game in Spain’s capital, with the stands packed to the rafters and with the La Liga title at stake. It’ll be a golden opportunity to further underline his hero status in front of the Real Madrid fans.
His first season at Real Madrid is exceeding expectations. He was already the key man in the first El Clasico of the season in Catalonia, where he scored two goals to turn the game around and give Carlo Ancelotti’s team all three points. His trademark celebration, standing with his arms raised, was seen that day and has become very popular, with so many copying him, from kids in school playgrounds to fellow professionals. That’s a sign of how important the Englishman has been in this brilliant debut season.
Although Girona striker Artem Dovbyk has now scored 17 goals and overtaken Bellingham, who has 16, in the Pichichi Trophy standings, there are seven rounds remaining in this final stretch. He’ll try to reclaim top spot and become the second midfielder in the history of La Liga to finish as top scorer, after Luis Aragones in 1970. Of his seven remaining opponents, he scored against four of them in the first half of this season: Barcelona, Cadiz, Villarreal and Real Betis.
In the match against Barcelona, he will once again be a key presence in Ancelotti’s midfield, as he has been all season. The Italian coach has invented a space in his scheme for the Englishman to act as a playmaker and he has 16 goals and four assists in La Liga, or 20 goals and 10 assists if looking across all competitions.
At the Bernabeu, he will come up against the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Ilkay Gundogan, who’ll try to stop Bellingham from playing his usual game. Real Madrid and Barcelona are the two teams with the most passes in the competition this season, with 18,823 for Ancelotti’s side and 18,732 for Xavi’s, so the battle for control of the ball will be fascinating.
A first La Liga title is within Bellingham’s grasp, as his side are eight points clear of Barcelona and could end up 11 ahead if they win Sunday’s El Clasico. This is very much the business end of the season, when star players are expected to show up. It’s for these kinds of moments that he signed for Real Madrid, to play and win these games. The attention of the fans and opposition will be on him, as Bellingham’s skill is no longer a surprise factor. He’ll always remember his first El Clasico at the Bernabeu, and he hopes the memories are fond ones.