THERE have been eight goals scored by Englishmen in world football’s greatest club fixture.
And Gary Lineker netted five of them, for Barcelona against Real Madrid, including a hat-trick in the Nou Camp.
So before Jude Bellingham makes his debut in El Clasico at Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium tomorrow, Lineker’s glowing tribute to England’s outstanding young talent is worth listening to.
He said: “As a Barcelona man, I find it difficult to say it about a Real Madrid player but Bellingham is the complete footballer.
“On our podcast the other day we were discussing the late Sir Bobby Charlton and whether he was England’s greatest-ever player, and I think it’s fair to say that he was — but Bellingham can become our greatest of all time.
“We haven’t had a genuine global football superstar since Sir Bobby.
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“You could say David Beckham had that level of celebrity but, respectfully, that was for other reasons as well as his football.
“Jude looks like he is going to be that global superstar — and with the way he has started at Real Madrid, perhaps he already is.”
Bellingham netted his 11th goal in 12 games for Real in Tuesday’s Champions League win at Braga, an extraordinary return for a player who had operated chiefly in a deeper midfield role at Borussia Dortmund before this summer’s £88.5million transfer to the Spanish capital.
And Lineker says the importance of hitting the ground running when playing for one of Spain’s footballing giants cannot be underestimated.
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The Match of the Day host scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Racing Santander on his Barca debut in 1986 — having arrived at the Nou Camp from Everton as the World Cup Golden Boot winner.
And he said: “We think Premier League footballers operate under a lot of pressure, and they do, but it’s nothing compared to playing for Barcelona and Real Madrid.
“When I was at Barcelona, it was a middle-class crowd. Most working-class people couldn’t afford to go.
“The Socios, who owned shares in the club, formed a lot of the crowd and for them it was like going to the opera or ballet. They sat back and expected to be entertained.
“In a bog-standard Spanish league game it could be very quiet and if you started badly, after 15 minutes they could get on your back and start whistling at you.
“It was similar at Real and while things have changed a little, it’s still largely true.
“So it was really important Jude made such an excellent start at Real.
“It was never quiet when Barca played Real Madrid, though.
“Not that it was referred to as ‘El Clasico’ in my day. It was called ‘El Derby’, which the Spanish use to mean any big match, not just a local rivalry.
“It was not just a game when we played Real. As soon as you arrived at Barcelona, you understood the political significance of the fixture.
“Under General Franco’s dictatorship, the Nou Camp was the only place where the Catalans felt safe speaking their own language.
“And Real were very much regarded as Franco’s club.”
Lineker’s hat-trick in a 3-2 victory over Real in January 1987 was one of the most memorable matches of his illustrious career.
He said: “There were 120,000 people in there and I have never known a noise like it. It gave me goosebumps.
“I scored twice in the first five minutes, typical Lineker tap-ins!
“The hat-trick goal was early in the second half. It was a long ball from our keeper, Andoni Zubizarreta, their defender misjudged it and back-headed it into my path and I chipped the keeper.”
During his three seasons at the Nou Camp, Lineker was a rare success as a British footballing export.
He learnt Spanish, immersed himself in Barcelona’s culture and scored 52 times, winning the Copa del Rey and the European Cup- Winners’ Cup.
Against Real, he also scored two winners at the Nou Camp to bring his tally to five.
His compatriots Michael Owen, Steve McManaman and Laurie Cunningham all scored once in the fixture for Real, with Welshman Gareth Bale netting twice for Los Blancos and Scotsman Steve Archibald scoring two for Barca.
But Lineker expects Bellingham to enjoy a long, successful stay at Real.
Lineker said: “I was 25 when I went to Barca but Jude had only just turned 17 when he went to Borussia Dortmund and 20 when he joined Real. It’s like going to university abroad — but with a lot more pressure.
“Going abroad at such a young age has given Jude a tremendous maturity.
“I remember at the World Cup last year when Harry Kane missed a good chance (against Senegal), and it was Jude who went over and told him to keep his chin up. I found that remarkable and so impressive because he was only 19 at the time.
“But you see it in the way he plays and the way he conducts himself . . . that supreme self-belief that the true greats all have.
“People mistake it for arrogance but it’s not that. Bellingham just knows exactly how good he is.
“A lot can go wrong in football — injuries, obviously, and also the idea that a young player can go off the rails.
“But I can’t see that happening with Jude because he is so mature and so intelligent and has such a stable family background.
“Jude has never played in the Premier League and perhaps he never will. Because the greats don’t leave Real Madrid.”
So how about the pressure of El Clasico, and the wall of hostile noise Bellingham will face in Barcelona tomorrow?
Lineker said: “I loved it and I am sure Jude will, too.
“It might help that the match will be played in Montjuic at the Olympic Stadium (while the Nou Camp is undergoing an 18-month rebuild).
“That might affect the atmosphere. Neither Real nor Barca are quite as good as they were a few years ago and it will probably be a tight game.
“Real are a point clear of Barca at the top and level on points with Girona, who have surprised people with a great start.
“Barca have been keeping a lot of clean sheets, and getting a lot of 1-0 wins under Xavi — which is a bit strange given the sort of player he was and the wonderful attacking Barca team he was part of.
They have had severe financial problems and, not for the first time, they are being bailed out by the quality of their academy, La Masia.
“They have five very good youngsters . . . the midfielders Pedri and Gavi, left-back Alejandro Balde, then there’s the teenage forward Lamine Yamal and another teenager, Marc Guiu, who scored the winner on his debut against Athletic Bilbao last weekend.”
But the most impressive youngster on show at this Clasico will be Real’s — and England’s.
So does Lineker have any advice for Bellingham before he faces Barca?
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“No, I’m not going to give him advice for two reasons,” said Lineker.
“Firstly, because I’m a Barcelona man. And secondly, because he clearly doesn’t need any!”
Listen to Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards on The Rest Is Football podcast, available on all platforms, twice a week.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
