Izuchukwu Okosi
England head coach, Gareth Southgate, believes it is not out of place to consider Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham as the world’s best football player based on his current form.
The in-form midfielder once again proved his mettle as one of the best football players in the world as he scored a brace in Saturday evening’s 4-0 win against Osasuna in the La Liga.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAsked if Bellingham was the best in the world right now, Southgate said: “I wondered if you might say that!
“No, it’s not a stupid question. I haven’t seen everybody and studied everybody playing.
“All I can say is he’s at one of the biggest clubs in the world, arguably the biggest, and he’s playing exceptionally well and he’s currently the match-winner for them so he’s in a brilliant place.”
“He has been the match-winner for Real Madrid and the start for him has been absolutely phenomenal. I’m chuffed to bits for him.
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The former Borussia Dortmund star has quickly established himself as a fan favourite at the Bernabeu, where he has added more goals to his game playing in a more advanced position.
The 20-year-old Englishman some days ago scored a solo stunner in Tuesday’s 3-2 Champions League win at Napoli, with Spanish media comparing him to Diego Maradona and Alfredo Di Stefano.
“He’s playing higher,” Southgate said. “We played him higher against Scotland, he had that freedom in the Ukraine game as well, we didn’t use the game well enough in the final third.
“But he’s always looked dangerous and had an impact around the opposing box with Dortmund and with us, without looking quite as calm as he has this season in front of goal,” he added.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
