“I played with Figo and Zidane and even for them, it took time” - Ex-Real Madrid star blown away by Jude Bellingham’s Los Blancos adaptation 

Former Real Madrid player Aitor Karanka has lauded Jude Bellingham for adapting to La Liga faster than the likes of Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with John Cross of The Mirror, Karanka admitted that neither Zidane or Figo accustomed themselves to Spanish football as fast as Bellingham has.

"I did not have any surprise or any doubt (about Jude Bellingham's abilities), 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."

Karanka then went into detail about Zidane's situation, speaking about a plateau in his career when he joined Real Madrid.

"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 ten years in Madrid. No other club is like it."

The former Los Blancos player also compared Jude Bellingham's situation to that of one talented youngster back in the day by the name of Raul Gonzalez, who went on to become one of the greatest strikers in the club's history.

"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."

Karanka then circled in on Bellingham's biggest gifts - his attitude and magnetic personality, and the support of his family. The Spaniard lauded the Englishman for leaving his homeland at such a young age to go and play for Borussia Dortmund and then Real Madrid.

"More than his quality and skills, the most important thing is his personality. How mature he is, his brain and the family. The family and Jude both have their clear ideas.

"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."

Aitor Karanka concluded by stating that he believes Carlo Ancelotti is the perfect coach for Bellingham's well-rounded development. He mentioned the freedom offered by the Italian is crucial at this stage of the midfielder's career.

"One of the good things that Carlo has, is the freedom he gives to the players and in that shape, in that style, Jude is feeling free!"

Jude Bellingham has bagged 13 goals and three assists in 14 appearances across competitions for Real Madrid this season. They will travel to Cadiz for their next La Liga fixture on November 26.

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Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham wins Golden Boy 2023

Among many sporting surprises in 2023, one of the least surprising events will be Jude Bellingham being named the Golden Boy.

The ceremony will take place in Turin on December 4, where he will be presented with the trophy.

He finished the polling with a reported 97% of the total votes, the same figure as Kylian Mbappe's winning score back in 2017.

The Real Madrid man takes over from Barcelona's Gavi, who won the award in 2022.