Borussia Dortmund’s players are happy about the departure of team ace Judd Bellingham to Real Madrid.
“Dortmund players are happy that Bellingham has left the club,먹튀검증” the Daily Mail reported on June 16 (KST).
“Real Madrid CF and Borussia Dortmund have reached an agreement on the transfer of Bellingham, who will sign a contract with our club for the next six seasons,” Real Madrid announced on June 14, according to the club’s official website.
Bellingham has been touted as one of England’s top prospects since his days at Birmingham City, where he showed flashes of brilliance. His talents were recognized early on by Dortmund, who snapped him up ahead of the 2020/21 season, and he has since established himself as a regular starter for the Bundesliga’s top team despite his young age.
At Dortmund, Bellingham has shown tremendous versatility, covering all areas of the midfield, which has attracted the attention of many teams. His passing, vision, dribbling, breakaways, and kicking made him the centerpiece of Dortmund’s game every game, and he scored 24 goals in 132 appearances over three seasons. At Dortmund, Bellingham was at the top of his game and was so central to the team at such a young age that he often wore the captain’s armband.
He was also called up to the England national team in 2020, beating out a number of senior midfielders to establish himself as a regular midfielder. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he stunned opponents with his performances and caught the world’s attention.
Eventually, Bellingham overcame suitors from other big clubs to join one of the world’s best teams, and has been dubbed the “new Zinedine Zidane” after being given the number 5 shirt by his former club, Real. It was also expected that Dortmund would be sad to lose Bellingham, as his departure would leave a hole in the squad.
However, the Dortmund squad’s reaction was not as expected. According to the Daily Mail, “The Dortmund squad are understood to be delighted with Bellingham’s move to Real after becoming fed up with his behavior at the German club. Bellingham was a fan favorite in Germany, but his teammates did not feel the same way and were happy to see him leave,” said a source close to the Dortmund squad on Bellingham’s departure.
“Despite being a young player, Bellingham quickly became a leader in the locker room and was awarded the captain’s armband several times last season. However, his teammates felt that he rarely showed leadership and was always in a bad mood, which created a bad environment within the team,” he said, explaining that many of his teammates were unhappy with Bellingham’s leadership.
According to the report, Bellingham also spoke to his teammates in a less than friendly manner, and reportedly made insulting comments to defender Nico Schulz, who was a teammate in the 2021/22 season. At the time, Bellingham allegedly told Schultz after he made a poor pass, “You don’t pass well. You’re a piece of shit. You’re always like that,” along with other profanity-laced comments.
German media outlets reported that this was not a one-off incident and that Bellingham had been insulting his teammates all season.
As a result of the repeated feuds, it seems that the Dortmund squad actually welcomed his departure, despite the fact that the club’s strength was weakened by Bellingham’s departure.
As the outlet notes, “After Bellingham’s departure, they are happy with the new arrival, Marcel Xavier, and don’t miss him. Emre Can has become one of the most popular players in the squad, while Sebastian Ale has also taken on a more prominent role and has a seat on the team committee,” the source added, noting the changes in the squad since Bellingham’s departure.
Meanwhile, Bellingham’s unassuming demeanor at Real has been the polar opposite of the attitude controversy that Dortmund players pointed to.
“Real fans fell in love with the humble Bellingham,” said British media outlet The Sun, which released a video of Bellingham’s first day at Real. In the video, Bellingham arrives at the training center in a Toyota taxi, unlike other players who arrive in expensive exotic cars.
“Bellingham took a taxi,” “Love his humility,” Real fans wrote on social media. Some praised his humility in arriving in a taxi, saying that “he could still struggle” and that he was having a hard time adjusting to life in Spain, where the driver’s seat is different from England.
With Bellingham’s two-faced demeanor, much of the attention will be on whether he can get along with his teammates at Real after being criticized by former teammates who welcomed the move.