Carlo Ancelotti reacts to Jude Bellingham scoring on Real Madrid debut

  • Jude Bellingham earns plaudits from Carlo Ancelotti on Real Madrid debut
  • Madrid secured a 2-0 victory against Athletic Club in La Liga
  • Team hoping to challenge for Spanish title after missing out last season
Jude Bellingham scored in his competitive Real Madrid debut.
Jude Bellingham scored in his competitive Real Madrid debut. / Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/GettyImages
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Jude Bellingham was "outstanding" in the eyes of Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti after he netted a goal on his competitive debut for the club on Saturday night.

Real Madrid kicked off their La Liga campaign by securing a 2-0 victory against Athletic Club.

The 20-year-old, who completed a huge transfer from Borussia Dortmund to the Spanish giants in June, bagged himself Madrid's second goal with a close-range volley.

"He's outstanding. He has plenty of personality and has adapted very quickly to the team's system. It seems like he's been with us for a long time and he's a very talented player," said Ancelotti of Belingham after the match had finished.

This achievement marks Bellingham as the first English player to score in an official match for Real Madrid since David Beckham in 2007. The ex-Manchester United midfielder had also registered a goal on his own league debut for the Spanish giants further back in 2003.


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Rodrygo opened up the scoring with a precise near-post finish, with Madrid trying to move on from Karim Benzema without properly replacing the departed number nine.

"He's adapting to this system very well, as is Vini Jr," said Ancelotti on the Brazilian. "They're very young and they're progressing nicely, but they need to continue with this progression. Hopefully Rodrygo can get more goals than he managed last season.”

Defender Eder Militao was forced to come off in the 50th minute due to a knee injury.

“He sprained his knee. It doesn't look good and we will assess it in the next few hours. Hopefully it's nothing serious. We're concerned and we're not ruling anything out," Ancelotti admitted.

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