Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has often been praised for just how mature he is at the tender age of twenty. His views on the world of football and maturity itself would certainly back that up.
After winning the Kopa Award for the best young player in Europe on Monday, Bellingham gave an interview to L’Equipe, where he was full of praise for his parents, with his father acting as his agent currently.
“Yes, it is crucial. Lots of people interact with agents who are more interested in money than the player’s best interests. I have never considered it because I have always had my parents to talk about it. They care about my well-being and I know that our dreams are aligned.”
“When you involve agents, there’s their own incentives, their desire is to make money… For me, it’s never about that. I just want to keep that family environment. Plus, it leads to great conversations at the table. It can be anything from a discussion about a movie or something that happened to ‘by the way, Real Madrid are interested’.”
Bellingham also named his father as one of his idols growing up, among a list that included Lee Bowyer and Zinedine Zidane.
Now at arguably the most closely covered club in the world, Bellingham was already a star, but became a global name when he signed for Los Blancos for a fee that, depending on variables, could make him the most expensive player in their history. None of that matters to him though.
“I have seen people very close to me allow themselves go in the wrong direction. If you only love football for the game, you will always be rewarded. If you play for attention and fame, that’s not the right way to do it, in my opinion.”
He was quizzed about his maturity too, and even that answer had elements of modesty and understanding of his situation.
“I have heard that many times, because of the way I behave on the pitch and how well I react to situations. The problem is that people put you on a pedestal. And then I make little mistakes, I’m human, I lose my head, and people almost say ‘oh look, he’s not that mature.’ The reality is that I’m keeping it inside. I am not a robot.”
Bellingham, who is clearly a passionate player, will be forgiven very little at Real Madrid, with the eyes of the world on him at all times. While things have been going swimmingly for him so far, the attitude he has shown so far suggests that he can handle what is thrown at him.
