Jude Bellingham has revealed how Liverpool played a key role in his decision to join Real Madrid instead of returning to England and ply his trade for a Premier League club.
The former Birmingham City star was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League with Liverpool seen as a likely destination. His recent interactions with some Liverpool stars especially with Trent Alexander-Arnold on social media further added fuel to the fire. The likes of Manchester City and Manchester United were also linked with the highly-rated midfielder.
However, the star midfielder decided against returning to his home country and instead sealed a move to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund. He spent three seasons with Dortmund and was named the Bundesliga Player of the Season in his last season for the club.
Jude Bellingham on his decision to join Real Madrid:
Jude Bellingham was unveiled as a Real Madrid player on Thursday (June 16) and was given the iconic number five shirt. The shirt was previously worn by the legendary Zinedine Zidane. Speaking at the unveiling, Bellingham opened up on the moment that convinced him to snub the likes of Liverpool and seal a move to Real.
“For a start, money is not a thing for me,” Bellingham said.
“I don’t think about money at all when I make these kind of decisions, I never have and I never will, I play the game purely out of love.
“I spoke with the people when I got permission from Borussia Dortmund, I spoke with Juni [Calafat, Madrid’s chief scout], I spoke with Jose Angel [Sanchez, Madrid’s CEO], and I love the feeling I got from the club, I couldn’t hide it.
“I told them more or less straight away what I felt about the club, after I made my decision I wanted it to all happen quickly.
“It wasn’t the case of the other teams are bad, or they weren’t good, it’s just that, for me, Madrid is the greatest,” he added.
Speaking further, he revealed how watching the Champions League final last year between Liverpool and Real Madrid convinced him to pick the latter.
“I think the exact moment is hard to say, I had the meeting where they came to my house and I was sold, to be honest, but I can’t remember when that was,” Bellingham said.
“That was the moment when, for me, it was definite. Like I said, you’re always in admiration of the club. Watching them win the Champions League, I was at the final when they beat Liverpool, that was another huge factor, but there are a load of things really that go into making the decision to join this club,” he added.
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