Jude Bellingham gives honest take on Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr after narrow Real Madrid win
Jude Bellingham expressed his thoughts about Real Madrid teammates Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior after all three players scored in the 3-2 Champions League win over Atalanta on Tuesday.
Bellingham, 21, scored Madrid’s third of the night in Bergamo, Italy, having been assisted by Vini Jr, who scored three minutes prior.
The Englishman’s strike was his sixth in seven games as he has returned to form following a rough start to the 2024/25 campaign.
As ever, with superstars in the team, fans have been concerned with the relationship between Mbappé and Bellingham after the former Dortmund man appeared to show his frustrations toward the former PSG forward during Los Blancos’ 2-1 defeat away at Athletic Club on December 4.
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However, since then, Madrid put in an impressive display during their 3-0 win at Girona on Saturday before last night’s victory over Atalanta.
"I don't think anyone inside the club is really that bothered about it [who scores]," Bellingham told TNT Sports.
"But I understand from outside there's an expectation of success from the three of us and from the whole team.
"It is nice that you've mentioned that we've scored, but it's really useless if we don't win games and do the fundamentals really well.
"Second half, as we were defending the lead, we did that a lot better and got rewarded with the win."
The three points meant Madrid currently sit in 18th position in the 36-team group phase.
Teams who finish ninth to 24th will enter a play-off to secure qualification for the knockout stage, while first to eight will progress without the need for the play-off.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side are currently three points behind eighth-place Bayern Munich, who trounced Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1 yesterday evening.
Bellingham explained how he would “preferably” like to finish in the top eight due to Madrid’s already hectic fixture schedule.
"Preferably in the top eight," the midfielder explained when discussing what position Real were targeting.
"It's less games, it's more rest for us, and it's a chance to regroup a little bit.
"We've got a tough schedule, we've had a really tough schedule, with a lot of away games.”
Next up, Madrid will travel to their city rivals Rayo Vallecano, on December 11 before they make the journey to Qatar for the Intercontinental Cup.
They return to Champions League action against RB Salzburg on January 22.
Topics: Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Champions League, Atalanta, La Liga
Luke Davies