Bellingham joined arguably the biggest club in the world, Real Madrid, last summer, for a huge fee of £88.5m – and yet that has looked like a bargain.
Expectations were obviously high for a player with huge promise and a big price tag – but he exceeded all of them with a goal-laden trophy-winning campaign.
Playing in a more advanced role for Real – as a number 10 or centre-forward – he ended the season as their top scorer – and top assister.
Bellingham scored 23 times and created 11 goals for team-mates in 39 games for the club.
Some of them were huge goals too. Remarkably he scored a last-minute winner in El Clasico, against their arch-rivals Barcelona… twice.
He netted twice, including a stoppage-time winner, in Real’s 2-1 win at Barcelona in October, and then struck in the final minute at the Bernabeu in April.
In January, Real boss Carlo Ancelotti said Bellingham was “obviously the best” player in the world “bearing in mind that he’s had to adapt to our club, to a new culture and language”.
He was named La Liga’s player of the season and won the 2024 Laureus World Sports Breakthrough of the Year for any sport.
Real Madrid cruised to the La Liga title by 10 points and won the Champions League final – against Dortmund of all teams – at Wembley.
“When he left us, I said the same thing I said to [Manchester City striker] Erling Haaland – I was proud to be their manager,” said Dortmund boss Edin Terzic – who recently left his post – after that game.
“It’s his first Champions League win and it’s a proud moment for him.”
What odds there will be more to come?
