'Goals are not everything' insists Ancelotti after spectacular Bellingham start
Cameron Smith
- 8 Oct 2023 12:42 CDT
- 3 min read
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has stressed that “goals are not everything” following Jude Bellingham’s blistering start to life in Spain as praises his “special” talent.
The England international scored a brace against Osasuna on Saturday to take his tally to 10 goals and three assists in just 10 appearances for his new club.
Bellingham joined Los Blancos from Borussia Dortmund for €103 million this summer after an excellent few years in Germany.
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The England international has been deployed in a more advanced role at Real Madrid and that positional change has resulted in the best goal-scoring form of his career, and by some distance.
His position at Real Madrid has been a much-debated topic as Bellingham has essentially been Los Blancos’ most advanced central player for much of the season.
Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo have been used as split strikers, with the Brazilian duo moving wide and Bellingham advancing into a false nine-esque position.
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Karim Benzema joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad on a free transfer this summer and Bellingham has essentially replaced the Frenchman in the Real Madrid starting XI, which has fuelled rumours the Englishman is playing as Los Blancos’ centre-forward.
However, Ancelotti has now spoken about what position Bellingham is actually playing at the Santiago Bernabeu. “I really hope people understand that Jude Bellingham is not a striker, remember that,” he said.
"He's a midfielder. Goals are not everything. He's so special.”
Bellingham’s goals, however, have played a key role in why Real Madrid are currently top of La Liga.
How much is Jude Bellingham worth?
FootballTransfers’ in-house Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) algorithm is the most comprehensive football player valuation system in the world and Bellingham’s value is incredibly high.
The Real Madrid star has an ETV of €125.4m - the third-highest value of any player in the world. Only Erling Haaland (€141.2m) and Kylian Mbappe (€136m) have a higher ETV than Bellingham.
