Former Manchester City man Sergio Aguero believes Jude Bellingham is on his way to becoming one of the world's best - but bemoaned the fact he's not at the Etihad.
Bellingham made the move from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid in the summer and has barely looked back. Los Blancos were the envy of world football when they were the ones to land the England international's signature and everything that has happened since explains why.
The midfielder has registered a remarkable 14 goal contributions in 12 appearances in the form of 11 goals and three assists across all competitions for Carlo Ancelotti's men. Bellingham's latest strike, one that proved to be the difference in the 2-1 win away at Braga, sealed his place in the history books as he became the first Real Madrid player to score in all of his first three European Cup games for the club since Christian Karembeu in 1998.
Aguero may have, albeit briefly, donned the shirt of Real Madrid's fierce rivals Barcelona, but even he cannot deny the sheer brilliance of Bellingham. Speaking to Stake.com, the ex-Argentina international waxed lyrical over the 20-year-old.
"Jude Bellingham is on his way to being one of the best in the world - look at what he is doing with England," Aguero explained. "Jude's adaptation was downright impressive. Ten games, ten goals, [he has since scored more] that's the whole story.
"Even as a young player, the pressure of playing for such an enormous team didn't affect him. That's praiseworthy. You can even see him do great things for the national squad. If he maintains this level consistently, he may be named among the best for sure."
While Bellingham was still a Dortmund player, he was linked with just about every major club on the continent - including City. However, Real Madrid beat them to the punch and Aguero has admitted he is disappointed his old side couldn't persuade him to make the move to Manchester, especially with Bellingham's former team-mate leading the line.
"It’s a shame Pep Guardiola couldn’t convince him to join [Erling] Haaland at Man City," the 35-year-old added. "Great teams will always vie for great players. City has managed to get the upper hand on several important occasions, like Haaland. Sometimes, it doesn't go this way, that's the way of the trade market."
Bellingham recently quashed any talk suggesting he'd be on the move to a Premier League side soon when he admitted he wants to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu "for the next 10 to 15 years of my life". In turn, Aguero could be waiting a while to see Bellingham don the sky blue of City.