He’s got the world at his feet, and, at 20 years of age, Jude Bellingham could turn out to be the best player in his generation.
Since arriving in La Liga to play for Real Madrid, the young England star has taken Spain’s top flight by storm, and he was at it again on Saturday, scoring a brace as Los Blancos swept Osasuna away with a 4-0 win.
Bellingham scored in the ninth minute of each half, and once Vinicius Junior and Joselu had made the points totally safe, he was given a standing ovation in the Santiago Bernebeu as he was substituted on 72 minutes.
There was even time for Joselu to miss a penalty in a game Carlo Ancelotti’s team dominated from start to finish, and the three points took them to the top of the Primera Division, two points ahead of Girona.
So how good can Bellingham be, and can anyone stop him?
There could well be some Ballon d’Ors in his grasp over the next decade, and he has put down a marker by equalling the achievements of a Los Blancos legend in his first few weeks.
Bellingham has matched Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of scoring ten goals in his first ten matches for Real Madrid. CR7 made his splash back in 2009, but in La Liga, Bellingham has surpassed him, scoring eight goals in eight league games, while Ronaldo managed seven in eight.
Already a hugely talented midfielder, strong and skilled in the mould of another Real Madrid great, Zinedine Zidane, but now Bellingham appears to have added a much bigger goal threat than ZZ carried.
Now there’s a thing: a blend of Ronaldo and Zidane is at truly terrifying prospect!
Okay, let’s not get too carried away because these are still early days, but Bellingham has made more stunning La Liga 2023 highlightsthan most players would produce in a season.
Girona grind it out
While Los Blancos were pulling Osasuna apart, the early season’s surprise package, Girona are not proving easy to shake off, and they battled tooth and nail to earn a scrappy 1-0 win away to Cadiz. The Gironistes even went top of the league for a couple of hours after Aleix Garcia scored the goal to take all three points from Cadiz.
The hosts went down to ten men when Darwin Machis was sent off after ten minutes for a reckless and high challenge on Yangel Herrera, but they battled hard and held out until Garcia hit a sublime strike from distance, and then Cadiz launched a wave of attacks late in the game as they chased a point, but the visitors saw out a priceless victory.
Girona finished tenth last season, but this time around, Michel’s side has a steely look about it, and they are ready to challenge for Europe. Here at SBOTOP the latest La Liga 2023 betting oddsrate Los Gironistes as fourth favourites, and that is dreamland for their fans.
Sevilla showing real fight
It’s been a topsy-turvy 12 months or so for Sevilla, a proud club with a sparkling history that struggled in a relegation battle for the majority of the 2022-23 campaign. Head coach Jose Luis Mendilibar replaced Jorge Sampaoli in March and steered Los Sevillistas to safety as well as winning a fifth Europa League title within a decade to bring the feel-good factor back to Seville.
Sevilla have not made a sparkling start to this campaign, but there is a more confident look about the team and no lack of fight, as they came back from a two goal deficit against Rayo Vallecano to grab a point in the 96th minute.
The visitors came into the game on the back of three consecutive draws and they showed plenty of ambition, racing into a two goal lead before the half time break. Oscar Valentin headed into an empty net after a speculative cross had bounced off the post and into his path, and then Alvaro Garcia gave Rayo a two-goal lead with a clever finish.
The hosts halved the deficit five minutes into the second half when Djibril Sow shrugged off a challenge before curling a beauty into the far corner and breathing life into the game. Sevilla threw everything at their visitors, with 63 per cent possession and 22 shots on goal, but as injury time approached, some empty seats started to appear in the stands.
The faithful who remained were rewarded, and how, six minutes into added time, Youssef En Nesyri climbed high to power an unstoppable header into the Vallecano net.
Sevilla would have been disappointed with a draw before the game, but this was an immense fight back against a side in seventh place, so there is plenty for Mendilibar to work with.
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