– Personality on the pitch? I imitate all the things I have seen from former and current players. I’ve added them to my gameplay to get even better. You can see it on the pitch. When it comes to football, I am a mixture of many different styles, even from my time with Birmingham. I never looked at just one player and tried to imitate him. I’m me, I’m Jude, and I’m not trying to be anyone else.
– My presentation at Real Madrid? I will never forget that day. It was something surreal. It was an amazing experience and one of the best days of my life. I didn’t want to get too carried away, I feel more comfortable on the pitch, but it was a great day with family and friends. I was very happy. The number “5” is important at Real Madrid. It was a great day and I was very proud of how everything turned out. I was also nervous. When my turn came and the president called me to speak, I was very nervous. I didn’t know what I wanted to say, I didn’t have anything prepared. I just said what came to my mind. It went well, but I was very nervous.
– The size of Real Madrid? Everyone knows that Real Madrid is the biggest club in the world, but when you experience it up close, as at the Santiago Bernabéu after its reconstruction, you feel that it is something spectacular. It’s like playing in the coliseum, you feel like a gladiator. You can’t imagine how big this club is. It’s impossible to play for Real Madrid and not be recognized. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not. This club is at a higher level than the others. During training, the players are very confident and the coach is calm. It’s a good environment to work, express yourself and be creative on the pitch. I feel at home in this city, and so does my family. My friends came to see me and they really liked the city. People and fans show me respect and treat me very well. I feel as if I have been here for many years. I am very pleased with the beginning of the season and now I want to maintain this level. I hope to win even more trophies with this great club.
– Debut goal in the match against Athletic? It was a good goal for the first time. David passed me a good ball and I hit it on the turf. Sometimes it’s hard to hit a good volley when the ball is at such a height. Sometimes you can lose control of it, so I thought I’d hit it down and maybe it would go into the goal or a teammate would get to it and finish my shot. The bounce was perfect though. Maybe there was some luck involved, but the ball went well. It was a great day. When you come to this club there is a lot of pressure on you and a good start was very important to me.
– Position on the pitch? My role has changed since I arrived at Real Madrid. At Borussia I scored a lot of goals, but I played more from the back. It was harder to hit the net. Now I play with the best players in the world and more as a number ten, closer to the penalty area. I have freedom, I move in many sectors on the pitch. I like being in the box, being creative, shooting at goal, creating chances and scoring. It’s all thanks to the coach and my teammates. I have to do my job with my quality and help the team, but they deserve the credit.
– What kind of person am I? I am the same person in interviews, at home or when hanging out with friends. I like to joke and have fun. I got a great opportunity to do what I love most in life. Not many people in the world can say the same and I appreciate what I have achieved. Every day I laugh with my teammates, but when I have to get serious, I become a different person. When I’m in the locker room, I focus on my job and enjoy the company of my teammates. My daily life depends on what I am doing at a given moment and who is visiting me. It also depends on the day of the week and what match we have. I often feel very tired after training.
– Daily routine? I get up early for training, train and come home. Sometimes I go out for coffee near my house or go downtown to eat something. Then I come home and if it’s nice and sunny, I relax in the garden. If my friends are here, we go out to dinner and then go home. It’s really great. In the places you visit most often, you have the opportunity to meet new people. They don’t see you as Jude Bellingham the footballer, they see you as Jude coming for a coffee and that’s great. The people I meet in the city care about me very much. I feel at home here.
– Great goal from Napoli and the famous photo with Vinícius? I got a good pass from Camavinga. I received the ball. I played well, I was confident. The ball stuck to my shoe and I thought I would keep running. When you move the ball like this and you see that you are getting closer to the goal, you feel very good. You see that you are getting closer. When I got into the penalty area, I knew they couldn’t foul me. I had everything under control. It was my first Champions League match away. We played on a difficult pitch and against a very good team. The win gave us a very good position in the group. It’s one of my best goals at Real Madrid. The whole team played a very good match. That moment with came he’s brilliant. What I like most about this team is that all my teammates are happy for the others. If you do something special or score a goal… Well, you get hit by Rüdiger, but others smile at you and celebrate it too [śmiech]. I saw this photo at the Santiago Bernabéu. It is very beautiful and makes me proud. It was a great moment and one of my favorite photos so far. The whole team is there, a come shows his most creative side. I have a copy of this photo that I will keep forever.
– League El Clásico? The first goal was probably my best goal so far. To be honest, I didn’t play a good match, my opponents covered me well. I had a good goal streak. I was very calm and had in my head that if the opportunity presented itself, I would score a goal. This club always fights until the end. I was convinced that we would be able to turn the game around. The ball fell at my feet. I didn’t feel comfortable up to that point, but I took a strong shot and hit it. Second goal? I think we had the ball for about a minute and a half. We made passes. Dani found Luka. The ball went up a little. Some say I was lucky, but when everyone was standing still, I didn’t stop. People can say whatever they want, but if it helps us win the game, I don’t care about jokes like that. Situations like this happen in football. It was a big moment, probably not our best game. In such moments you have to show a lot of will to fight and character. We did it and achieved a historic victory.
– Adaptation? I think one of my skills is to quickly adapt to a new environment. I am involved in both football and social matters. When I’m away from home, I’m a reserved person and I don’t like to make too many new contacts because it’s difficult for me because of the language, but I’m always very polite. When it comes to football, when you know you will be here for a long time, it is important to give your all and be open to learning to avoid mistakes and have a positive feeling.
– First title with Real Madrid? It was a great moment, I’m very proud of it. It is not easy to go to Saudi Arabia in the middle of the season and after the Christmas break. We played against two impressive teams. I think we dominated the first game. We were unlucky that it went to overtime, but again the team showed character. Our class and quality were visible in the final. come he was great, Rodrygo was brilliant. The whole team was amazing. It was domination that was reflected on the scoreboard. I won my first title and it was a very important moment. You sign a contract with Real Madrid to experience moments like this. I hope there will be more of them. Every day you have to move forward, work as hard as you can in training, come home and be a good guy. You have to respect people and work all the time.
– Am I firmly on the ground? When I play, I’ve never been asked to do something that I haven’t done in the past or that I can’t do. When I’m at home, my parents focus on me being a good person and an example to my younger brother and friends. They always tell me that football is an accessory and that I have to be the way I am. They focus more on what I’m like at home. I have a lot of support. I’m no longer a beginner and I know there will be ups and downs, but I’m confident and I have great people around me, so I’m ready for anything. Thanks to my family, I will not be affected by the bad times that may always come. I know how to be strong. I am lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people.