This is how Jude Bellingham dominates the territory beyond the 80th minute

Jude Bellingham was answering questions on TNT Sports on Tuesday, still on the Etihad grass, when former footballer Rio Ferdinand stopped, amazed: “But how old are you, brother? Tell me how old are you”. The Real Madrid player laughed: “20.” His maturity is not only impressive when he speaks, but it surprised Valdebebas from their first work sessions, and it is the factor to which Carlo Ancelotti has attributed his rare adaptation instantly. Never before had a foreign footballer made such an impact on Madrid so soon and so young.

His impact in Sunday’s classic, with the goal that ended up putting the League title back on track in the 91st minute (3-2), summed up two of his most striking attributes, due to his age and his status as a newcomer to a gigantic club. : nonconformist ambition and mastery of the most slippery moments.

The Englishman, who this Monday won the Laureus Newcomer of the Year Award, had already shown in Montjuïc the ability to handle himself in the final moments. He won the classic of the first round with a goal in 92 (1-2). He is the fifth footballer in Europe who is most decisive after the 80th minute, according to Opta.

In that final stretch this season he has eight contributions to the goal (assist or goal), five in the League and three in the Champions League. Ahead are only Mohamed Salah, who has played in the Europa League with Liverpool, and Mathys Tel, from Bayern, with 10; and Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé, with 9.

This extreme instinct from Bellingham that buckled the League on Sunday was fundamental at the beginning of the championship. Already since August 25, on the third day in Balaídos. Madrid could not break the tie even with a penalty from Rodrygo, which was saved by the goalkeeper. But Bellingham ended up heading the winning goal in the 81st minute (0-1). The following day, under the brand new roof of the Bernabéu, he appeared even more at his limit: he scored 2-1 in the 95th minute.

His 17 goals in the League are not only an unexpected haul for his career as a midfielder, but they also make him the player in the championship who has given the most points to his team along with Robert Lewandowski and Borja Mayoral, both classic nines. His goals have helped Madrid add 14 points, changing the score from defeat to a draw or from a draw to a victory.

He has also dominated this record in the Champions League, since the first day, when he scored 1-0 against Union Berlin in the 94th minute. Carlo Ancelotti referred to the Englishman’s handling of the finals after another European match, the victory in the Bernabéu against Naples (4-2): “He seemed very tired halfway through the second half, but he took 10 minutes to recover, and in the last 15 he made the difference.” The match was 2-2 until the 84th minute, when Nico Paz scored the third. Bellingham did not stop there: in the 94th minute he assisted Joselu for the final 4-2.

On Sunday in the classic he was not satisfied either when Lucas Vázquez found the score 2-2. The tie was enough for Madrid to maintain its eight-point advantage over Barcelona when there are only 18 left to play in the last six league games. “For us, a draw was not bad,” Ancelotti explained. “When we tied, they tried to put many players in front, losing balance. We had fairly simple transitions, and in one we marked the 3-2″.

The one from Bellingham, determined to continue pushing. Located in the midfielder, he was pointing out where the next pass should go to get closer to Ter Stegen. He celebrated a foul by Fermín near the area in the 86th minute and tried to agitate the crowd. And in the play of his goal, when Lucas advanced from the right and he had not yet entered the area, he was already raising his arm as he advanced towards the point where he expected the ball to fall; where he ended up falling.

In the classic, it turned out well for them to go beyond what was essential. Other times, like in the round of 16 of the Cup at the Metropolitano, their enthusiasm condemned them. Joselu tied in the 82nd minute (2-2), and Madrid continued. “We lost the game when we took risks,” Ancelotti lamented after 4-2 in extra time. “It was a sin of youth. We have young people with extraordinary quality who try and allow us to win games. But sometimes forcing a play isn’t necessary. We lost balls that punished us. “We could have done better with the draw.” But that’s how the young Bellingham ended up with Barça and with the League.

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