REAL MADRID superstar Jude Bellingham revealed a bizarre list of football idols that left fans stunned.
Bellingham has set the world alight at the Santiago Bernabeu with 13 goals and three assists in 13 appearances across all competitions for Real.
The midfielder’s stunning performances with Los Blancos, following a glittering campaign with Borussia Dortmund, led to the Kopa Award for best young player in the world.
After winning the prestigious honour, the 20-year-old was asked to name the football stars he looked up to while growing up and cutting his teeth at youth level.
The England international’s response stunned fans around the world as he started out by naming Birmingham City legends Seb Larsson, Craig Gardner and Lee Bowyer – and Zinedine Zidane.
Bellingham grew up loving the Blues and went on to spend ten years at St Andrew’s before moving to Dortmund in 2020.
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Larsson, Gardner and Bowyer earned a permanent place in the LaLiga star’s heart after they led Birmingham to their League Cup triumph in 2011 by beating Arsenal 2-1 at Wembley.
But as he kept growing, Bellingham started studying the game a lot more and learned about Zidane thanks to his father’s admiration for the France legend.
The Birmingham hero learned to idolise Zizou so much that he asked Real team-mate Jesus Vallejo to give up the No5 jersey for him so that he could honour his idol on the same pitch where he competed as a Galactico.
Bellingham told L’Equipe: “I admired the Birmingham players, the team that won the League Cup at Wembley. My heroes were Seb Larsson, Craig Gardner and Lee Bowyer.
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“As I got more into it, dad was the most important. Later, my first models were Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard, simply because they played in England.
“And then when you grow up, you start watching football. My dad had a fake Zidane shirt that he had bought on the beach. He took it everywhere, often at home.
“One day I asked him: ‘By the way, who is that guy?’ He replied: ‘Go on YouTube and check him out’. Since then, I probably haven’t stopped.
“Zidane was the player I wanted to be. I was lucky enough to meet him during the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool [in 2022].
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“I was like a kid, wide-eyed. It’s so humbling for someone who has achieved so much. He gave off a great presence. And, according to the guys who played with him here, he was a great coach. That is just as important.”
Fans were left in disbelief as they stormed social media to analyse Bellingham’s unique choices.
One supporter wrote: “One of the rare occasions that Lee Bowyer and Zinedine Zidane get mentioned together.”
Another commented: “He’s literally a cross between the players he mentions. Craig Gardner, Seb Larsson, Lee Bowyer and Zinedine Zidane.”
And a third wrote: “Jude Bellingham loves Zidane so much.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
