Jude Bellingham didn’t hesitate when asked which football legend he would have loved to play alongside.
The 21-year-old midfielder has become a key figure at Real Madrid since his high-profile transfer from Borussia Dortmund.
Surrounded by world-class talent—including Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, and Kylian Mbappe in attack, as well as Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, and Aurélien Tchouameni in midfield—he plays among some of the best in the game. ..Continue Reading
Yet, if given the chance to share the pitch with any football icon from history, Bellingham’s choice would be clear: former Real Madrid and France star Zinedine Zidane.
After being asked the question in an interview with FIFA, the England midfielder said: “Zidane, easily. I’d just give him the ball and watch him.”
He added: It’d be like watching YouTube up close. Mind you, I wouldn’t want to play a whole season with him because I wouldn’t get any minutes.”
Bellingham opened up on an admiration for Zidane that stems from his childhood, when his dad, Mark, used to wear the colours of Los Blancos.
“My dad always wore a Madrid [shirt] around the house, with ‘Zidane 5’ on the back, which is funny because it’s kind of gone full circle and he gifted it to me when I joined in the summer.,” he told UEFA in 2024.
“I was like. ‘Who’s this guy that you’re always wearing on your shirt?’ And he was like, ‘Well, when you’re old enough, we’ll get you onto YouTube.’ Now that I wear the No5, it’s ended up being quite a significant story.”
In 2021, Bellingham included Zidane in his ideal five-a-side lineup.
During an interview at the Sports Personality of the Year awards, he selected the legendary French midfielder alongside his former Borussia Dortmund teammates Erling Haaland, Marco Reus, and Jadon Sancho.
More recently, Zidane expressed admiration for Bellingham, using his locker before a Real Madrid legends’ match against Porto and praising the young midfielder’s talent.
“From five to five, we are not the same age but the same number,” he said before kick-off. “He is spectacular, we are lucky to have him at Real Madrid, he is very good and I hope he brings us many trophies.”
