I Knew Bellingham Would Perform At Real Madrid, But I’m Shocked It Didn’t Take Long – Aitor Karanka

Jude Bellingham has topped the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo with his start at Real Madrid, ex-player, Aitor Karanka has said. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.

According to him, he never doubted that Bellingham would perform in La Liga, but he is still stunned to see how the English midfielder started excelling immediately.

Aitor added that even legends like Zidane and Figo took time before settling in at Real Madrid.

His words, “I did not have any surprise or any doubt, but maybe one surprise is just how quickly he’s done this. I played with Figo and Zidane and, even for them, it took time. I remember when Zizou arrived here, the first month or two months, he was not as good as he was at Juventus or later on. It’s Real Madrid.

But with Jude’s personality and character, it looks like he’s been playing here for 10 years in Madrid. No other club is like it. When I played here, there were top players but all of them were older but now at 20 years, the only one I think of is Raul who started at 18 or 19 but when you are as young as Jude, it’s hard to find anyone who has been as successful as him.

More than his quality and skills, the most important thing is his personality. How mature he is, his brain and the family. The family have clear ideas, Jude has his own ideas and I think it’s important for his direction. When he left Birmingham, he could have gone to other teams in the Premier League but when he joined Borussia Dortmund, it was because he thought it was the best step for him and now I think Real Madrid has been the same.

For sure, he had offers to go to Liverpool, Manchester City but he decided to go to Madrid as soon as he arrived here and he’s made the difference. His family is so strong. His brother Jobe plays in Sunderland, his father is with him in Sunderland and his mother is with him here and I think it’s vital because, as a player, 25 years later to play for Real Madrid means you are more than just a normal player.”