JUDE BELLINGHAM has revealed Carlo Ancelotti’s cheeky 10-word response after being pulled up for yawning before last night’s game.
The Real Madrid boss was in Manchester as his side took on City in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Spanish giants went on to triumph on penalties, no doubt inspired by their veteran boss.
Ancelotti, 64, has become renowned for being as cool as a cucumber during his legendary career.
And last night he no doubt instilled confidence in his players once again with his laid back attitude.
Appearing on TNT Sports following his side’s penalty shoot-out victory, Bellingham lifted the lid on a pre-match encounter with his manager.
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The 20-year-old said: “One of our biggest strengths is that we’re so off the cuff.
“As a man he just fills you with calmness and confidence.
“Before the game, I caught him yawning and I said to him ‘boss are you tired?’
“He went ‘yeah you need to go and excite me out there’.
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“That’s the sort of confidence and calmness he brings.”
Bellingham also spoke of his joy at being able to return to home soil and win.
He added: “It is incredible. Moments like this are magic and it just comes down to mentality.
“When you get those details right and you get those little moments, like the penalties, when the lads keep their cool, it is magic. This was beautiful.
“My brother is here today and it is the first time he has been able to see me playing for Madrid. I feel really proud about that.”
After his team’s triumph, Ancelotti praised their character.
Why Man City fans were to blame for penalty defeat to Real Madrid
RIO FERDINAND and Joleon Lescott have blamed Man City’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Real Madrid on the FANS.
Bernardo Silva missed one of the spot kicks as City crashed out of the Champions League.
And the England duo spotted how the home fans at the Etihad played a role in the spot-kick being saved.
Ex-Man City star Lescott claimed the home supporters held onto the ball for too long after Real’s Luka Modric fired his shot into the stands.
He said: “That would have just took him out of sync and out of his rhythm.
“You can practice the routine, the technique, the walk up potentially, this is something you don’t prepare for, the ball being in the crowd.”
Ferdinand chimed in: “40 seconds by the way Joleon,” before Lescott continued: “That is a long time. It may not seem that long but it’s a very long time when you are waiting there and you are thinking, now do I change position?
“Now do I change where I go? And all of a sudden, it’s a soft penalty.”
Manchester United legend Ferdinand went on to say: “It’s a shame though as well, because it is the home fans that are delaying that penalty kick which is a shame.”
He said: “There was only one way to get out of here alive. We did well to score early on and then we showed the commitment to defend the lead.
“We defended well, we had to dig in and fight hard. We could have played better but the team were defensively superb.
“We showed the attitude and commitment demanded by this jersey.
“This is a very special competition for us and we always deliver something that people are not expecting us to produce.
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“Everyone was writing us off but we’re still here.”
Real Madrid will face Bayern Munich in the semi-finals, after Thomas Tuchel’s side defeated Arsenal 3-2 on aggregate.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
