Bellingham's Real Madrid signing inspired by Zidane

Stuart Telford

• 16 Jul 2023 07:27 CDT
• 3 min read

Zinedine Zidane's No.5 jersey isn't the only thing Jude Bellingham is set to inherit at Real Madrid following his €103 million arrival from Borussia Dortmund.

Bellingham joined Real in June in a deal which could reach €133.9m due to add-ons - spurning Liverpool in the process - and has wasted little time in impressing his new employers.

The nascent England star joins a packed midfield which already includes Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Aurelien Tchouameni, among others, but Carlo Ancelotti has a tactical change, inspired by Zinedine Zidane, up his sleeve.

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The Italian won La Liga and the Champions League in 2022 using a 4-3-3 and stuck with the formation last season, but he is now set to use a midfield diamond on Madrid's pre-season tour of the USA.

Ancelotti's Zidane inspiration

"When I started coaching I had a clear idea, and I didn't adapt to the players I had," Ancelotti said. "I had an experience at Parma, where [Roberto] Baggio wanted to play as a playmaker and I didn't change the system. He went to another team. And I was wrong.

"At Juventus, with Zidane, I started to understand that it's better to adapt to the players. Players have to feel comfortable. I adapted and I'm still adapting.

"This year we might play a different system. The system we have played with has been very successful, but we can try a new style. We're going to try it on the tour. It's a good time to do so."

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Whether Zidane would be the most advanced of a midfield diamond remains to be seen, but he did contribute 14 goals and seven assists across all competitions for Dortmund last season, and Modric and Kroos, at 37 and 33 respectively, might appreciate not having to press so much from the front.

Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde provide yet more world class midfield options for Real, but they have increasingly been used at left-back and right wing under Ancelotti.