Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has brought newfound support for youngsters such as Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham as he earmarks them as future stars.
Fans with Real Madrid tickets were entertained by an exciting 90 minutes of Champions League action in the first leg of the quarterfinal against Manchester City.
Haaland had an exceptional season when he made his debut for Manchester City last time, but his playing style has slowed down since then. He was remarkably absent in the Real Madrid quarterfinal, much to the credit of the Madrid defenders.
Similarly, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham has dropped in intensity in the season’s final stage. But fans with Real Madrid tickets believe that the best is still to come from the English youngster.
This week, Bellingham, Haaland and Mbappé were criticised after their Champions League performances. Bellingham and Haaland drew a blank in Real Madrid’s 3-3 draw with City at the Bernabéu, while Mbappé failed to score in Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-2 home loss to Barcelona.
It was a purple patch for Bellingham for his life in Spain, scoring 13 goals in his first 13 games.
But in 2024, the story does not continue. The midfielder, pipped to play an attacking role, only found the net in two of Madrid’s games in 2024.
Ancelotti acknowledged that his goal-scoring has dropped but promised the fans nothing short of intensity.
“What’s dropped off is Bellingham’s goals,” Ancelotti said in a news conference on Friday ahead of Madrid’s La Liga game with Mallorca.
“Maybe these big stars weren’t at their best in the first legs, but there are other games [to come]. Watch out for Haaland, Mbappé and Bellingham.”
Rodrygo was on fire in the game against Manchester City in the Champions League tie, and Ancelotti is confident that his team will be ready in full swing when they travel to England for the rematch.
Jude Bellingham One for the Future
Despite the English midfielder not finding his name in the goal scorers list, his impact has been exceptional.
Especially for a 20-year-old, Bellingham is already making headways in the footballing world and impressing fans with Real Madrid tickets.
The England international has had a season to remember following his £113million move to the Spanish capital last summer.
In 33 appearances across all competitions, he has scored 20 goals and assisted 10 in La Liga and the Champions League, spearheading Real’s hopes of winning both.
Since making his debut as a 16-year-old for Championship side Birmingham City, Bellingham has racked up 15,007 minutes on the pitch.
But his 15,000+ minutes rank him only fourth, behind two former Premier League greats in the top tier.
Former Manchester United and Everton striker Wayne Rooney is third with 15,479 minutes played before 21.
Rooney entered the world of football at the age of 16 and has since gone on to be an all-time great for the club and country.
Cesc Fabregas takes second spot, having played 16,691 minutes for Arsenal and the Spanish national side.
PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is top with ease, having played 18,309 minutes for AC Milan and Italy before turning 21.
Bellingham will have the chance to break into the top three as he turns 21 on June 29.
If he stays fit and Real Madrid makes it to the Champions League final, he will have the chance to play another 1170 minutes.
He can extend the match time when he plays for England in his first Euros as Gareth Southgate is excited to have the youngster as a starting number alongside English captain Harry Kane at the front.
Chelsea looking for Toni Kroos?
Former Chelsea winger Florent Malouda has highlighted the importance of bringing in a player like Toni Kroos to alleviate the current ‘chaos’ at Stamford Bridge.
With Kroos’ contract at Real Madrid winding down, he’s poised to be a free agent come the summer, and Malouda sees him as the perfect fit for Mauricio Pochettino’s youthful squad.
A Real Madrid legend, a player that every fan with Real Madrid tickets has adorned, Kroos’s future at the Spanish club isn’t looking too good. In his prime, Kroos was a delight, but with the new players in the mix, it feels like he is no longer a first priority, and the German understands this as well.
Having a player of his calibre at this crucial juncture will be resourceful for Chelsea.
The French ex-winger told the media, “I think a player like Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos is the type of target that Chelsea should be looking to bring in this summer.”
He stated that his levels of experience, along with his pedigree, he should be resourceful for the club.
“Players with such a high football IQ can analyse every scenario on the pitch, make the right decisions, and lead the team. This is the type of profile I would be looking to bring into the club over the summer.
Kroos, a pivotal figure at Real Madrid since his arrival in 2014, offered an assured response regarding his contract situation in March. “There are no issues whatsoever,” he said.
Malouda highlighted Chelsea’s erratic performance under Pochettino as a cause for concern, particularly their tendency to drop intensity within matches—a case in point being last Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Sheffield United.
For Madrid, Kroos has won it all. If the proposition at Chelsea looks good and guarantees him more game time, the Premier League would be an ideal destination for him.
Of course, the loyal fans with Real Madrid tickets would not love to see him go, but the footballing world feels that there’s still a lot of football left in the legend.
What we’re seeing at Chelsea this season is a lack of consistency, not just throughout the season, but throughout the same game!” he said. When you watch Chelsea, sometimes you think that you’re watching a team capable of scoring four goals in the first half and that everything is going well.
“They don’t have the emotional balance that allows you to control the game, which is down to the squad’s composition. When you choose to focus on a project with mostly young players, you will always find this inconsistency because all of these players are learning simultaneously.”
