"Bellingham Reveals: Playing With Real Madrid Legend Would Be 'Like Watching YouTube' In Real Life"

Jude Bellingham has revealed that Real Madrid icon Zinedine Zidane would be his ultimate dream teammate from football history.

The English star, who recently represented his nation in matches against Andorra and Senegal—where he subsequently faced criticism from manager Thomas Tuchel—is now focusing on Real Madrid's upcoming FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the United States.

As the 21-year-old midfielder prepares for his team's first match against Al Hilal on June 18, he was asked by FIFA to name the one historical player he would most want to play alongside.

"Zidane, easily," Bellingham responded enthusiastically. "I'd simply pass him the ball and just observe! It would be like watching YouTube highlights in person. That would definitely be my top choice. Although, I probably wouldn't want to play an entire season [with Zidane]. I doubt I'd get any playing time!"

This admiration for Zidane isn't recent for Bellingham, who even selected the No.5 jersey at Madrid as a tribute to his idol. Reflecting on this last year, he shared: "My father always wore a Madrid [shirt] around our home, with 'Zidane 5' on the back, which is quite ironic because it's come full circle and he gave it to me when I signed in the summer.

"I used to ask: 'Who's this player on your shirt?' And he would say: 'When you're old enough, we'll show you on YouTube.' Now that I wear the No.5, it's become quite a meaningful story."

Bellingham aspires to follow in the footsteps of the 1998 Ballon d'Or recipient during his tenure in the Spanish capital, and he's already made a remarkable beginning.

The attacking midfielder, who shares certain stylistic similarities with Zidane, has already secured five trophies with Madrid and placed third in the 2024 Ballon d'Or rankings. However, he undoubtedly recognizes that he still has considerable progress to make before he can equal, or potentially exceed, Zidane's remarkable legacy.