Jude Bellingham showed his class by praising a journalist during his Real Madrid unveiling.
On Wednesday, Madrid confirmed the signing of Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund on a six-year deal.
The Spanish La Liga giants secured Bellingham’s signature by fending off competition from the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
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On Thursday, the 19-year-old was officially unveiled by Madrid in front of the media.
Whilst all eyes were on Bellingham, he took his time to praise one of the journalists in attendance.
According to Euan McTear, who tweeted: “Sid Lowe might be the only journalist who can ask a question in the introductory press conference of Bellingham, a €100m player, and have the player respond by saying 'I'm a big fan of yours, by the way'”.
During his official presentation, it was confirmed that Bellingham will wear the number five shirt, famously worn by his idol, Zinedine Zidane.
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Talking about Zidane, Bellingham said: “For a start I'd like to thank Jesus Vallejo for letting me wear the number five.
“I had some contact with him just to see if it was OK and he was a brilliant guy in letting me where it, just being so nice about it, so I'm very grateful.”
He continued: “I've said how much I admire Zinedine Zidane, the legacy he has in the club, and I'm not trying to be the same as him, I'm trying to be Jude, but it's definitely a homage to how great he was.”
When asked why he chose to join Madrid, Bellingham said: “I think the respect Real Madrid has in England and the pedigree they have in Europe is huge. Madrid's history appeals to me and I want to add to their history.
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“All the players at the England camp kept asking me to go to the Premier League or join their clubs but I wanted to play outside of my comfort zone. This is where I wanted to be.”
Bellingham joins the likes of Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in Madrid’s midfield department.
Topics: Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid, Football
Marcus Chan