- Jude Bellingham and Zinedine Zidane took part in a recent promotion together
- The Real Madrid midfielder had his appeal against his two-game ban rejected
- Is Trent Alexander-Arnold playing mind games with Man City trophy dig? It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Jude Bellingham and Zinedine Zidane were in the same room recently for the photo-shoot of a new Adidas and Real Madrid clothing range collaboration with Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto.
The images released this week show the two shaking hands in one of the publicity shots now plastered all over the Spanish capital; a video captures the moment Bellingham lets out a ‘woah!’ when Zidane walks into his dressing room.
Considering the first season Bellingham is having, Zidane could just as easily have been the man in awe. The Frenchman arrived at Madrid aged 29 and scored 12. Bellingham, aged 20, has scored 20 goals already.
It would have been 21 goals but last weekend’s 99th minute header came two seconds after referee Jesus Gil Manzano had blown his final whistle. And for telling the referee: ‘It’s a f***ing goal’ he now misses two games.
The ban might just be the perfect platform for him to cap his extraordinary first season with the finish it deserves.
The Spanish Football Federation have pretty much given Bellingham most of March off. Madrid’s appeal against the two-game ban failed on Friday so he will not play in Sunday’’s game against Celta Vigo and he will also miss next weekend’s against Osasuna. There is then a two-week break for international football.
If he doesn’t over-exert in Wembley friendlies against Brazil and Belgium he’ll return to competitive La Liga action on March 31 refreshed. There is even a break the following weekend because the Spanish Cup final means no league football.
He will have played just one competitive club match in five weeks when Real Madrid play the first leg of their Champions League quarter-finals.
Some players need to play in order to stay fit but not super athlete Bellingham. The break, especially coming just after an ankle injury last month saw him miss three games, will give him time to find the perfect balance between training hard and resting.
Bellingham’s desire to play every minute and to chase every ball in every game has always left an end of season burnout as a possibility. He missed the run-in last year with Dortmund just as they needed him most.
It would be an exaggeration to talk of a tailing off so far. Without his powerful run from deep and the perfectly weighted pass that allowed Vinicius to score with a first-time finish Real Madrid would have been knocked out on Wednesday. But he looked exhausted when taken off with five minutes left.
He has scored four goals in his last 12 games and that’s a drop from the 11 he scored in his first 12 matches. It’s crass to judge him on goals alone but Madrid need his finishing because as far as Carlo Ancelotti is concerned they have no better centre-forward – that’s why he played as a central striker in that unconvincing aggregate win.
That below-par performance from Madrid had Jamie Carragher on CBS writing off their chances of winning this season’s Champions League – comments that were like a red rag to a raging Spanish Bull.
‘Every year it’s the same; they don’t even learn after 14 European Cups,’ said one Spanish media with the video clip of Carragher saying that Real Madrid’s performance: ‘Probably doesn’t bode well in terms of winning the competition.’
Carragher’s view might have upset some but there are just as many who privately think he has a point. Ancelotti’s game plan seemed cautious and if he was worried about what the fifth best team in Germany might do with quick transitions then how fearful will he be against one of Europe’s best?
But Madrid will have Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois back ready for the quarterfinals. And a super-recharged Bellingham will revitalize them like nothing else.
Zidane only got 12 in his first season but the last was a worldy at Hampden that won Real Madrid the European Cup. It’s a big ask for something similar, but at least, thanks to the Spanish FA ban, Bellingham could be in the right shape to try to emulate his idol.
PSG look to Xavi Simons to fill Kylian Mbappe void
Paris Saint Germain will never find another Kylian Mbappe. His goals in midweek mean he has now scored only five fewer in Europe than Lionel Messi at the same age.
But Dutch international Xavi Simons might help them over the loss. He has managed eight goals and 11 assists so far this season on loan at RB Leipzig and was excellent against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
The son of a former NAC Breda striker who had taken his family to Spain after he retired, Simons was a prodigy at Barcelona with four million social network followers when he was only 16.
A move to PSG did not work out but 22 goals for PSV Eindhoven last season saw the French club exercise a 4m euros buyback option and immediately loan him to Leipzig where he is flying.
He now looks ready to head back to Paris and fulfil his huge promise in what will be Luis Enrique’s difficult (Mbappe-less) second season.
Atletico Madrid owner’s reminder over Champions League importance
It’s not usually a good sign when the suits turn up at the training ground, and the presence of Atletico Madrid owner Miguel Angel Gil at Thursday’s session seemed like a reminder of the importance of staying in the Champions League next week.
Atletico’s rivals Inter have won all 12 games in 2024. Diego Simeone’s side are 11 off the pace in Spain but they are on a run of 25 home games unbeaten just three short of a club record.
The last-16 is yet to produce a ripsnorter, but with so much at stake for Atletico, 1-0 down from the first leg, it’s hard to see Wednesday’s game being anything else.
Roma prove they were right to sack Jose Mourinho
Roma’s thumping of Brighton served as another reminder that the Italians – who have won eight of ten since – were right to sack Jose Mourinho. On the bright side for Jose there’s another ex-alumni flying high.
Thiago Motta won the treble under Mourinho at Inter. Now he has Bologna fourth in Serie A off the back of six straight wins.
Valencia fans face LaLiga clampdown
LaLiga have reported Valencia fans to the Spanish FA for singing ‘How stupid you are,’ and ‘How bad you are’ to Vinicius.
Their clampdown on racism is to be applauded but a rendition of the Spanish equivalent of ‘you’re not very good’ to the brilliant Brazilian feels too daft to give a second thought to.
