Real Madrid’s €103 Million Gem Jude Bellingham Shines Bright

In his first two appearances in La Liga, Jude Bellingham wasted no time making an impact in the Los Blancos jersey, notching three goals.

This sight has become familiar to Real Madrid fans. Their new 20-year-old English midfielder stands before them, arms raised in celebration, a subtle smile as the ball hits the net. It’s a gesture that exudes both humility and confidence, a demeanor that resembles greatness, in a position marked by modesty.

Jude Bellingham has done just that in La Liga in three separate matches – once for each goal he’s scored in the white of Madrid. It’s become his signature move, an unmistakable gesture. Bellingham, the €103 million (£88 million / $110 million) signing, now has a brand of his own.

And that’s something Madrid needed ever since Karim Benzema signed with Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League in June. He had his own trademark reaction, arms and legs waving, shouts of joy – a player celebrating all 354 of his Madrid goals as if they were his first.

In theory, there were candidates within the team to replace – or at least compensate for – the goal-scoring vacuum left by Benzema’s departure. Bellingham, with eight Bundesliga goals for Borussia Dortmund last season, didn’t seem to be one of them.

However, now he has three goals in two initial matches. Coupled with an assist – setting up Vinicius Jr to seal a 3-1 win against Almeria – Madrid now possesses a well-rounded attacking threat from a fresh position in the lineup.

Bellingham isn’t Benzema, nor is he Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Raul. But so far, he looks like a multi-million-dollar bargain, a player who can contribute in the final third and ensure Madrid doesn’t miss their most important departure in years.