Jude Bellingham 'pinching himself' over England & Real Madrid success

Jude Bellingham has admitted he still can't quite comprehend the level he is playing at, having become both England and Real Madrid’s best player over the past few months.

Bellingham has scored 20 goals and assisted nine others since joining Madrid last summer, while he will be crucial to England's hopes of winning a first international trophy in 58 years at Euro 2024.

The midfielder will turn 21 during the summer tournament. At his age, most footballers are still just getting started at senior level but Bellingham has already played more than 230 games for club and country and is among the early favourites to win the next Ballon d'Or.

"I wake up and I have to pinch myself, when I'm playing for England at Wembley or playing at the Bernabeu for Real Madrid," he told Sky News. "It's something that I could never dreamed of happening this early, but grateful to everyone who's played a part in my journey."

His main target? "Trophies," Bellingham said. "Being able to give my country and my team, Real Madrid, great experiences and great memories of lifting trophies."

A teenage Bellingham was a fringe player during England's Euro 2020 campaign – he turned 18 the day that the Three Lions beat Germany in the quarter-finals. A final penalty shoot-out defeat against Italy was all that stood between that team and immortality in the annuls of English football history.

But, three years on, there is a feeling that England now have a new golden generation capable of going all the way in a major tournament. Bellingham, who hasn't played club football in England since he was 16, is spearheading that charge and feels his career overseas is helping.

"It's been really, really tough, but really fun, adapting to life in Spain and kind of having more responsibility with the Madrid team and with the national team," he said. "I'm kind of just trying to soak it all in and enjoy the experience and yeah, hopefully, improve and thrive on the back of it."

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