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Jude Bellingham Scores in Debut for Real Madrid in La Liga Victory Against Athletic Bilbao
Jude Bellingham impresses on his competitive Real Madrid debut, scoring in a victory against Athletic Bilbao. He becomes the first English player to score for Real since David Beckham in 2007.
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Originally published by www.nationnews.com (opens in new tab)
England midfielder Jude Bellingham scored on his competitive Real Madrid debut as they began their La Liga season with victory at Athletic Bilbao.
The 20-year-old, who joined the Spanish giants for £88.5m from Borussia Dortmund this summer, got Real’s second when he volleyed in from close range.
He is the first English player to score in a competitive game for Real since David Beckham in 2007.
Rodrygo had opened the scoring with a near-post finish at San Mames.
In an impressive performance, Bellingham caught the eye early in the second half with a run from deep inside his own half, skipping between two Athletic players before racing to the edge of their box.
Bellingham played in all four of Real’s pre-season friendlies, scoring in a 2-0 win over Manchester United in Texas.
Former England and Manchester United midfielder Beckham also scored on his league debut for Real in 2003.
Real were runners-up in La Liga last season, finishing 10 points behind Barcelona.
“Bellingham is a fantastic kid, he displays quality, personality, he is a hard worker. He is just fantastic,” manager Carlo Ancelotti told Movistar Plus.
“He is very motivated to be here, he is a fantastic player and a very, very important signing.
“We were on fire and motivated, we had a very good collective commitment, attitude, won many challenges, worked together defensively, a clean sheet was positive… it was a complete game, a very high level first half and a second half of total control.” (BBC)
