Jude Bellingham impressing Real Madrid as 'opposite of Gareth Bale'
- Bellingham has won over Real Madrid staff with his desire to adapt quickly
- Midfielder's attitude is seen as 'opposite' to that of former Galactico Bale
- Real Madrid kick off tour of United States later this week with Bellingham in line for debut
By Sean Walsh
Jude Bellingham is beginning to make his mark in the Real Madrid dressing room following his summer move from Borussia Dortmund.
The 19-year-old joined Los Blancos for an initial €103m, immediately becoming one of the most expensive transfers in history.
Bellingham was a long-term target of Real Madrid, with the midfielder and his family invited to watch their 2022 Champions League final win against Liverpool by club legend Zinedine Zidane.
According to AS, Bellingham is already impressing those behind the scenes at Real Madrid with his willingness to adapt and integrate himself into the Spanish way of life.
His surprisingly quick taking to Spain's culture has drawn contrasts to Gareth Bale, who made little to zero effort to learn the language and only spoke in English or through gestures. The Welshman won 15 trophies with Real Madrid but failed to win over fans.
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While Bellingham has heeded warnings from former Galactico David Beckham to improve his Spanish as quickly as possible, he has also sought to extend his relations beyond Real Madrid's English-speaking cohort.
He has made friendships with Brahim Diaz, Dani Ceballos and Lucas Vazquez, while he also went to dinner with fellow summer signing Arda Guler prior to pre-season training.
Bellingham is expected to make his Real Madrid debut during their upcoming four-game tour of the United States, where they will take on Milan, Manchester United, Barcelona and Juventus.
His first competitive game could come against Athletic Club on the first day of La Liga's new season, but his first appearance at the Santiago Bernabeu will have to wait until September due to ongoing renovation work.
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