After Monday night, Jude Bellingham will no longer be recognized for his skill on the football field.
The Real Madrid player showed up to the Ballon d’Or ceremony sporting two wide-legged flares of his own. Just two days prior, he had helped Los Blancos win in a thrilling El Clasico.
Just one place ahead of Harry Kane, another Englishman who has been winning hearts throughout the continent, Bellingham came in at number eighteen on the Ballon d’Or nomination list.
It was expected that Lionel Messi, who won the World Cup with Argentina, would win the trophy an eighth time, as this season was not considered in the winner’s nomination.
But Bellingham didn’t leave empty-handed; past Ballon d’Or winners cast their votes for Bellingham, and she took home the Kopa Trophy, which goes to the greatest under-21 player.
Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham collected the 2023 Kopa Trophy award on Monday night
The 20-year-old earned the award for his performances with Borussia Dortmund last season
‘I’ve been really welcomed by everyone at the club, my teammates, the staff, everyone behind the scenes, so really it’s down to them,’ he said in his acceptance speech. ‘I’m always confident in my ability, but they help me express it.’
‘To me the most important thing is team trophies. Now I’ve got this one it’s important that I try and kick on and help Madrid and England win trophies,’ he added to an approving nod by David Beckham in the audience.
Bellingham’s teammate Eduardo Camavinga was also on the roster, along with Gavi and Pedri from Barcelona.
Another addition was Xavi Simons, a talented player for RB Leipzig who had a breakout season in which he scored a massive 22 goals in 48 appearances for the German team across all competitions.
But the winner was the England player, who has been outstanding for Real Madrid since moving to the Bernabeu for £113 million this summer and scored 13 goals in 13 games.
The 20-year-old was a standout for Borussia Dortmund in the last campaign, helping the team narrowly lose out on winning the German first division with 14 goals in 47 games across all competitions.
Bellingham has scored 13 goals in 13 games since making the stunning move to Spain
On whether choosing the No 5 jersey was to emulate the legendary Real Madrid star, Zinedine Zidane, Bellingham said: ‘Yeah there’s a little bit of that. There wasn’t much else left to be honest.
‘It’s a lot of pressure but it’s something that I wanted to invite onto myself and pay homage to one of my footballing idols.’
On what it feels like to join such an illustrious group of players that includes Kylian Mbappe, Matthijs de Ligt, Pedri and Gavi to have won the award, he said: ‘It’s an honour to be stood here with some of the best players in the world and some of the best players to have played the game.
‘To win this trophy means a lot but for me most important is team trophies. Now I’ve got this one it’s important I try and kick on and help Madrid.’
Chelsea legend Eden Hazard (L) was on hand to deliver Bellingham with the award
‘Yeah it’s good because we were roommates for England maybe two or three years ago and he was one of my best friends in football,’ Bellingham continued, referring to his former England teammate Musiala placing second.
“I’m quite pleased with him.” Thus, staying in constant communication to find out how he’s doing. He’s a terrific player and a lovely boy.
Musiala, who was not there tonight, congratulated Bellingham through a video message that said, “Well deserved.” I believe we still recall our time as roommates in England.
It’s insane when you consider that I’m playing for Bayern and you’re for Real Madrid right now. I wish you a wonderful evening and hope to see you soon.