After impressing his debut in a 3-2 preseason win over AC Milan in Los Angeles, manager Carlo Ancelotti stated Real Madrid are “lucky” to have the “fantastic” Jude Bellingham.
Another Englishman, Fikayo Tomori, scored for AC Milan, but two second-half goals from Federico Valverde and a superb winner from Vinicius Jr, who ran on to a sublime Luka Modric pass, sent the majority of the 70,000 fans at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena home happy.
Bellingham’s 62-minute debut saw flashes of his natural talent and confidence, eliciting applause from the fans twice and compliments from his boss Ancelotti.
Bellingham embarked on a mad dash along the touchline in the early moments, leaving a handful of Milan defenders in his wake.
Then, as the first half came to a close, a superb first-time half-volleyed ball that combined precision and a sure touch in a packed penalty area almost put Brahim Diaz in on goal.
“It is rare to find player with this kind of quality,” Ancelotti said. “He is only 20, so he can improve. We are lucky to have him in our squad.
“He was fantastic. He has a lot of rhythm, moves well and has quality finding open spaces.”
Real paid Borussia Dortmund £88m to sign Bellingham on a six-year contract. They can already be assured the 20-year-old is the real deal.
