Ex-Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand has hailed midfield ace Jude Bellingham as a future Ballon d'Or contender with unparalleled talent and determination. Bellingham, now gracing the Real Madrid stage, has ignited the pitch with his £113 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund earlier this year.
At the tender age of 20, he's already making history by topping La Liga's goalscoring charts, netting five goals in just four matches for the Spanish giants. But Bellingham's brilliance isn't confined to club football; he recently wowed fans during the international break, scoring and assisting in England's 3-1 victory over Scotland.
Comparing Bellingham to England's midfield legends, Ferdinand mentioned that his impact at this age could rival the likes of ex-strikers Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney. In fact, Ferdinand dared to say that Bellingham surpasses even iconic figures like Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, and Steven Gerrard during their early twenties.
Ferdinand emphasised ahead of Madrid's 2-1 win over Sociedad as the Mirror quoted: "He is going to be pitted against people like Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes, and I would say right now, comfortably, that none of those players were doing anything like what he’s doing at this age, and that’s the yardstick."
With unwavering confidence, Ferdinand predicts a future adorned with Ballon d'Or awards for Bellingham. He stated: "So he can go on and win Ballon d’Ors. I’ll be very surprised if this kid doesn’t finish his career with at least one, maybe two or three Ballon d’Ors, because I think he’s that good."
Ferdinand marvelled at Bellingham's exceptional mentality, highlighting that his meteoric rise at Real Madrid is nothing short of remarkable. In conclusion, he added: "There have been players who stand out ability-wise maybe the same or a bit more than him, and you could argue the case either way. But I don’t think there’s been, which I think is the most important part of it, that one that has come out with the mentality that this kid has to do what he’s doing. To go to Real Madrid and be the best player in his first four or five games is phenomenal, unheard of."
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