Revealed: How Jude Bellingham signing has impacted Real Madrid shirt sales

Jude Bellingham is thought to already be one of the most popular players with Real Madrid as far as shirt sales are concerned, just a few short months into his career in Spain.

Madrid paid an initial €103m (£88.5m) to sign Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund in June, handing the England international the number five shirt once worn by Zinedine Zidane.

Bellingham has enjoyed a sensational start to life as a Madrid player, thriving as a 'number 10' in Carlo Ancelotti's new system behind central forwards Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior. He has scored three times in only two La Liga appearances, as well as assisting another – overall, the Englishman has had a direct hand in 80% of all the team’s league goals so far.

But his signing is not only an unsurprising masterstroke on the pitch. It is being felt off it as well.

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Marca explains that Madrid saw a significant rise in shirt sales last summer off the back of winning the Champions League for a 14th time, extending their own competition record. Those numbers are now said to be replicated in the wake of Bellingham’s arrival.

Madrid finished second to Barcelona in La Liga last season, were knocked out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage and have made no other major additions to the squad. Joselu has joined on loan, while Kylian Mbappe won’t arrive until 2024 unless something drastic happens.

Even counterfeit versions of Bellingham’s shirt are said to have skyrocketed. Marca adds that he is rivalling Vinicius as the most popular choice with fans, while Eduardo Camavinga is also highly desired by supporters – the young Frenchman is likely to be the future linchpin in midfield as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric continue to wind down their glittering respective careers.