At this point, it is hard to come up with any new superlatives to use when it comes to describing the performances of Ryan Gravenberch for Liverpool. And in the Champions League against Real Madrid, it was no different.
For most of the game, Gravenberch's direct opponent was Jude Bellingham – though there was also Luka Modric and Eduardo Camavinga to compete against – as well as Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler, who sometimes drifted inside from the wings. Out of all of those big names, however, it was Gravenberch who performed the best.
Bellingham expressed his desire to play like Steven Gerrard on Merseyside heading into the game. Before kick-off, the England ace made a point of walking around the Anfield turf on his own, taking it all in. When the referee's first whistle blew, however, he was barely involved.
Largely, that was down to Gravenberch. Could Bellingham put on a show at the home of his hero? The Dutchman excelling in the Liverpool midfield soon had the answer. In the first half, Bellingham got away from Gravenberch because he was able to spin free. By the second half, though, the Liverpool man had learned.
"What I think is the big difference [between the two players is that] Bellingham is a step lower at a club and always plays," former Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart told Ziggo Sport in 2023 when the England ace was still at Borussia Dortmund. "I think Gravenberch is better than him, in every way and especially physically."
At the time, that sounded ludicrous. But in isolation, on this occasion, it was arguably a fair reflection of what happened at Anfield. Clearly, Bellingham is excellent, but Gravenberch didn't make it look that way.
According to Sky Sports' Melissa Reddy, Liverpool once viewed a young Gravenberch as being a similar level of talent as Bellingham — and also Aurelien Tchouameni, who was missing here for Real Madrid through injury. Eventually signing the Dutchman after he spent a year with Bayern Munich, Liverpool can be pleased with the one it ended up with.
Ryan Gravenberch was excellent for Liverpool against Real Madrid.
Ryan Gravenberch was excellent for Liverpool against Real Madrid. (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Gravenberch has really started to show why he was being spoken about in that way this season, taking multiple steps forward all at once under Arne Slot. The Liverpool number 38 ensured Bellingham was essentially rendered anonymous.
If Liverpool is to repeat the trick and win another huge game on Sunday against Manchester City, it will need a similar performance from Gravenberch at Anfield. In addition, it will hope that Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley— another two outstanding performers — have avoided injuries. They played so well in Europe that it would be a massive blow to lose them for the weekend.
Konate, in particular, has gone up a level much like Gravenberch this season. Liverpool has Trent Alexander-Arnold to play at right-back, too, of course, but he wasn't fit enough here, and Bradley performed exceptionally.
Post-match, Arne Slot said it was too early to say how bad the issues for Konate and Bradley were, but if they can both play against Pep Guardiola's men and reach the same heights, Liverpool should have more than a chance of extending its Premier League lead.
Between the Liverpool defensive line and the holding midfielder in front of them. Mbappe and Bellingham were thwarted midweek. Next up, Liverpool can do the same with Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne — a feat that will be made easier with some positive injury news.