Jude Bellingham's toughest opponent who he 'couldn't get near' is now massively struggling

The player Jude Bellingham said he 'couldn't get anywhere near' is now struggling after enduring a tough season.

Bellingham, 21, is already one of the best midfielders in world football after an impressive start to his career.

On the back of leaving his boyhood club Birmingham City for Borussia Dortmund back in 2020, Bellingham developed into a star and has since earned a big-money move to La Liga giants Real Madrid.

Wearing the no.5 shirt that Zinedine Zidane previously wore at Madrid, Bellingham has so far scored 32 goals in 71 appearances across all competitions for Los Blancos.

The Englishman has faced some world-class players during his short career, but will always remember his experiences of playing against German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, claiming he could not get anywhere near him.

Speaking in a video posted by GOAL titled 'Bellingham reveals surprise toughest opponent' in 2023, when he was playing for Dortmund, Bellingham said: "I will never forget facing Gundogan. We played them away and he was really good. We played him at home and he played more like a six (deep lying midfielder). Honestly, I couldn’t get anywhere near him.

"The amount of times I went to press him thinking that he weren’t looking, like I could nick it off him, then he was just gone on one touch, he was so smart. It was the first time I thought, oh my god, I can’t get near him, I can’t touch him."

Although Bellingham didn't exactly name Gundogan as his toughest ever opponent, it is safe to say that he will forever remember his meetings with the German veteran.

Jude Bellingham previously spoke about playing against Ilkay Gundogan. Image: Getty

During his first spell with Manchester City, Gundogan played a vital role at the heart of Pep Guardiola's midfield and scored some important goals, including a stunning volley in the FA Cup final.

But upon returning to the club last summer on the back of a stint with Barcelona, Gundogan has so far struggled to rediscover his best form.

So far in the 24/25 campaign, the 34-year-old has only managed two goals and one assist in 30 matches across all competitions.

However, it has to be said that Gundogan is not the only City player who has underperformed this season.

The reigning champions have endured a tough season as they currently sit fourth in the Premier League table, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool.

In Europe, Guardiola's men have to win against Club Brugge on Wednesday night in order to keep their hopes of advancing to the next round alive.