In an alternative universe, Jude Bellingham could’ve been playing for the winning team at Anfield on Wednesday night rather than the vanquished visitors.
Liverpool fans won’t have forgotten how their club was linked with the England midfielder (then of Borussia Dortmund) for a seemingly interminable time before, in the summer of 2023, he eventually opted for a move to Real Madrid.
He won LaLiga and the Champions League in his first season in Spain but Los Blancos have catching up to do in both competitions this term, and instead it’s the Reds who lead the way domestically and in Europe’s primary club tournament.
Bellingham heaps huge praise on Liverpool
Speaking to TNT Sports‘ Jules Breach after Real Madrid’s defeat at Anfield, Bellingham admitted that Liverpool seemed to show the greater desire of the two sides and proclaimed them as the best team in the continent right now.
The 21-year-old said: “From the first minute they took control of the game. We never really maximised the spells we had in possession. When we got the ball back we tried to force a counterattack a few too many times and turned it over so much that they managed to keep control. Defensively they kept us in a place where we couldn’t really harm them as much.
“I just think they were more up for it than us, which is really disappointing to say. It’s a bad result against probably the best-performing team in Europe. It’s no disgrace to come here and lose but we are disappointed in how we performed.”
Jude Bellingham has described Liverpool as the 'best-performing team in Europe' right now
(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
No Bellingham, no problem for Liverpool
Considering how Bellingham ended up in the white of Madrid rather than the red of Merseyside, Liverpool fans might have a wry smile on their faces at him labelling us the ‘best-performing team in Europe’ at the moment.
That’s quite the compliment from a man who featured in a 4-0 drubbing by Barcelona a month ago, with Hansi Flick’s side averaging three goals a game as LaLiga leaders and third in the overall Champions League standings.
We may have missed out on the England international in 2023 but we did bring in four midfielders that summer, including the now-imperious axis of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, with the former being one of our best players this season and the latter opening the scoring last night.
Liverpool have accrued plenty of wins under Arne Slot – 17 already, to be precise – but in terms of overall performance and the standard of opposition faced, none of the previous 16 were as convincing as the fully deserved slaying of Real Madrid.
We doubt that Bellingham will have any regrets over his transfer choices after how last season played out, but he knows that last night he was facing rather than playing in the best team in Europe right now!
You can watch Bellingham’s interview in full below, via @footballontnt on X:
"From the first minute they took control of the game."
An honest post-match interview from Jude Bellingham following Real Madrid's defeat to Liverpool 🗣
🎙 @julesbreach| 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/wkH5KV0gZu
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 27, 2024