5 months ago
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Everyone has been comparing Jude Bellingham to the wrong Ronaldo.
The England and Real Madrid midfielder has began his LaLiga career in astonishing form, shattering goal records and taking control of arguably the best team in the world at just 20 years old.
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His goals and assists in his debut season have already earned him Galactico status.
Securing the Golden Boy and Kopa trophies, Bellingham has now earned his first trophy in Madrid’s white with the Spanish Super Cup, while he is likely to be among the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or in 2024.
Not bad for your first year.
One player who knows what that is like is Ronaldo. No, not Cristiano, but the Brazil legend - one of the greatest goal scorers ever.
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The 2002 World Cup winner moved to Barcelona from PSV in 1996, turning 20 in Spain like Bellingham has - and scored a staggering 47 goals in 49 games.
Of those, 34 of them came in LaLiga, earning the Catalans a first league title in eight years, and he made it a trio of trophies in the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana.
Manager Sir Bobby Robson was famously left with his hands on his head in utter disbelief at Ronaldo, who also added the Ballon d’Or to his Golden Boot in a stunning debut year in Spain.
Contract negotiations failed in the summer, though, and Ronaldo joined Inter Milan for a world record £19million.
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The icon stunned in Italy, and back in Spain with Real Madrid in 2002, but even at his best, nothing was quite like his debut season, which may never be bettered, even by Bellingham.
Bellingham, although not a striker like Ronaldo, is the Spanish league's top scoring player and widely seen to be better than his rivals for the Ballon d'Or.
"Everything he touches is turning to gold," Emmanuel Petit, who as part of France's World Cup squad, beat Ronaldo to the prize in 1998.
The former midfielder argued that the fact Bellingham is doing the business at Real, while Kylian Mbappe is at Paris Saint-Germain, stands him out as the world's best player.
