Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham once picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in the eternal debate over the greatest footballer of all time. The English midfielder expressed that he couldn’t believe the Argentine legend was ‘human’ after watching him play on the pitch.
At just 21 years of age, Bellingham is widely considered as one of the best midfielders in the world. He enjoyed a stellar 2023-24 campaign for Los Blancos, racking up 23 goals and 13 assists and helping them win LaLiga, Supercopa de Espana, and the UEFA Champions League.
He is also part of the generation of footballers who watched Messi and Ronaldo growing up and drew inspiration from the two legends of the game. During his time at Dortmund, he revealed who he preferred out of the iconic pair.
Bellingham said (via OneFootball):
“Messi for me, for sure. You can just watch him and think like ‘How does he do that?’ Every time I watch him, he just does something that I just think ‘You can’t be human.'”
Messi and Ronaldo have racked up over 800 goals each for club and country, forming an exceptional rivalry over the better part of a decade and a half. The pair have won 13 Ballon d’Or titles between them, with the former winning eight and the latter scooping up five.
The Argentine maestro now plies his trade for Major League Soccer side Inter Miami, while the Portuguese talisman plays for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. The pair have dominated their respective leagues, and are looking likely to continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
“Massive hero of mine” – Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham names former Liverpool star as childhood idol over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham named Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard as his childhood idol over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Gerrard was regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation and is still considered one of the best Premier League players of all time. He racked up 186 goals and 155 assists in 710 appearances for Liverpool, winning them a Champions League, Europa League, and five domestic cup titles among others.
Ahead of Los Blancos’ clash with the Reds, Bellingham named the 44-year-old as one of his heroes growing up, and hoped to deliver a performance like him on the pitch.
He said (via Caught Offside):
“Steven Gerrard, a massive hero of mine. It would be nice to have a Steven Gerrard-esque performance tomorrow.”
Bellingham has also named some eyebrow-raising players as his childhood idols in the past. While Gerrard, Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney, and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane are on the list, it also includes his boyhood club Birmingham City’s heroes Seb Larsson, Lee Bowyer, and Craig Gardner (via GOAL h/t L’Equipe).
The trio helped the Blues win the 2011 EFL Cup, a 2-1 victory in the final over Premier League juggernauts Arsenal.