Real Madrid Lucas Vazquez has revealed that Jude Bellingham's work rate has been a key factor in his impressive start to life in La Liga.
Speaking ahead of Madrid's UEFA Champions League group stage clash with Union Berlin, as expected, Vazquez was asked about his impressions of Bellingham's first few months at the Santiago Bernabeu, stating:
“What a player, eh? We’re all delighted with him, from the first day we’ve seen what a player he is, how much he helps the team. Goals do a lot, but he works as hard as anyone, he enjoys Real Madrid.
“Bellingham’s start is impressive. We will try to help him so that he can continue in this vein for many years to come. We’re talking about Karim [Benzema] and Cristiano [Ronaldo], two Madrid legends. Hopefully, he can get close to them.”
Since joining Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, Bellingham has blossomed into a genuine superstar. The 20-year-old broke the record for most goals scored by a Real Madrid player in their first 15 games at the club recently, besting both Alfredo Di Stefano and Cristiano by bagging 14 in said appearances.
Since then, Bellingham has further added to his tally, bagging his 16th goal of the season so far in the 1-1 draw with Real Betis in La Liga at the weekend - two more than he scored throughout the entire 2022/23 at BVB.
Along with his 16 goals, Bellingham has also contributed four assists in his first 16 games at Los Blancos, and explicitly cemented his place among the best players in the game.
The England star's form has notably made Madrid one of the favourites to win this season's UEFA Champions League - a tag Vazquez is delighted to see the club have:
“The role of favourites has always been the same for us, we’ve always shown that we compete like the best. What we have in our minds is to win this game, to go through to the last 16 or the quarter-finals. We don’t think we’re better or worse than anyone else.”
