29th May – We are currently outside Wembley Stadium, three days before it hosts a Champions League since 2013.The event will see tournament mainstays and record fourteen time holders, Real Madrid face off against underdogs and previous finalist the last the stadium hosted the final, Dortmund. For Los Blancos it’s business as usual, but for Jude Bellingham it could be the final chapter in one of the greatest debut seasons ever.

The narrative begins with his transfer to the Spanish team for a fee of £88.5 million during the summer transfer window, stepping in to replace the legendary Karim Benzema. The midfielder made a swift impact in La Liga, quickly adapting to the #10 position within the team’s 4-1-2-1-2 diamond formation. Scoring in the first four games, including on his debut against Atletico Bilbao and two injury time winners. Then returning to play for England, scoring and assisting against Scotland. Just as a reminder, this all happened in August and September.

In October in his first ever El Clasico at The Camp Nou, his 30-yard strike ties the score only to tap in the winner again in injury time. This is becoming a bit of a theme. These heroics led to Carlo Ancelotti, who has coached some of the legends of the game, to call the 20-year olds’ contributions as “incredible” and “extraordinary”. A couple months later, scoring a double against surprise league leaders, Girona. Scoring a winner against Barcelona once again. 

In the Champions League, he scored vs Union Berlin, RB Leipzig and in Naples. Finishing with four goals and four assists in a team looking to secure their 5th European trophy in 9 years.

But we’d be lying if the hype around Jude is only based on his performances. With any player they play a massive part, but the dribbling all while donning the iconic No.5 shirt all adds to his legend. The similarities between him and Zinidine Zindane has played a massive role. For example, the long sleeves, the Adidas Predators and the long legs in the final third have returned the nostalgic feelings that surrounded the Frenchman. 

Bellingham’s role as the face of Adidas’s resurgence has led to one of the most successful boot launches in the last 20 years. The Adidas Predator 24, celebrated the 30 year anniversary of the introduction of the boots made famous by the likes of Zidane and David Beckham. Even the collaboration between Zidane and Jude for Adidas’ Real Madrid clothing line has bolstered his image globally.

Most football leagues around Europe have ended, except for Jude and Real Madrid a Champions League trophy awaits. Standing in his way, is the club that made him the most expensive teenager in 2020. The yellow and black introduced the then teenage midfielder to European football and now face off against him on the biggest stage in club football.

Think about it, on a pure output basis does Jude have the best debut season at a new club? Probably not. Erling Haaland’s 50 goal treble winning season, maybe Mohamed Salah scoring 32 goals and adding 10 assists could be the winner. But the most perfect debut season? It’s Jude Bellingham. A title winning season with only one loss, a Champions League final against your old club in your home country for the most legendary club in sports, all while giving the greatest impression of Zizou? That takes the crown for us.