RIO FERDINAND was so stunned by Jude Bellingham that his voice broke live on TV.
The former Manchester United man, 44, formed part of BT Sport’s punditry team for Chelsea’s crucial Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund.
And as they discussed the match pitch-side, 6ft 3ins Ferdinand could not believe 6ft 1in Bellingham’s stature up close in the flesh.
Joe Cole and Owen Hargreaves were outlining Borussia Dortmund’s strengths ahead of the delayed kick-off at Stamford Bridge.
And Ferdinand eulogised over the physical prowess of the England man.
The ex-Red Devils defender – who had a shocker with the BT iPad in the cold – said: “I’ve just seen the size of Jude Bellingham close up.
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“I mean I’ve seen him up on TV a few times, this is the closest I’ve seen him.
“He’s a giant!”
And the defender’s voice even appeared to break with excitement as the camera panned over the players warming up.
Hargreaves also heaped praise on the ex-Birmingham kid, adding: “Everybody loves Jude, he’s such diamond.
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“This is a huge stage for him, he gets better the bigger the game.”
Bellingham has developed into a key player for club and country in recent years.
He is set to be at the centre of a mega transfer tug-of-war in the summer.
Real Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and tonight’s opponents Chelsea all desperately want to land the midfielder, who could cost as much as £135million.
But it appears Los Blancos have the edge as things stand – with Bellingham’s dad reportedly holding talks with the Spanish club.
It was suggested Real’s director of international football Juni Calafat met – who is responsibly for signing young players around the world – met with Mark Bellingham at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel just hours before the Champions League second leg.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
