Jude Bellingham admits Real Madrid's Champions League win against Liverpool helped sway transfer decision
By Sean Walsh
Jude Bellingham has revealed that watching Real Madrid beat Liverpool in the 2022 UEFA Champions League final was one factor that influenced his decision to join Los Blancos.
The 19-year-old has completed a move to the Santiago Bernabeu from Borussia Dortmund for an initial €103m fee.
Bellingham passed his medical this week and was unveiled as Real Madrid's newest player at an introductory press conference on Thursday.
Real Madrid had fought long and hard to win the race for Bellingham's signature, with Liverpool and Manchester City courting him throughout the 2022/23 season as well.
But the midfielder admitted that watching Liverpool's 1-0 defeat at the hands of Los Blancos in the 2022 Champions League final - a match he watched in the company of Zinedine Zidane - ultimately contributed to Real Madrid's case.
"The exact moment [of knowing to join Real Madrid] is difficult to say. I've always really admired the club, I was there at the final against Liverpool, that was a huge factor. There were many things that made me decide," he said.
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Throughout his press conference, Bellingham reiterated that his decision was not one motivated by money and was instead fuelled by a desire to play for a club like Real Madrid.
"Money is not so important, I didn't think about it. I have never done it to choose my next team. I spoke to Dortmund, I loved what Real Madrid were offering, I wanted it to be fast. It's not that the other teams were bad, of course not, but I chose Madrid," Bellingham asserted.
"I think the respect Real Madrid have in England is extraordinary, their pedigree in Europe is so important. I've seen their games in previous years, I understood their achievements and I've always been very interested in them.
"I've always been a big fan of Madrid, I used to watch them in England. When the players are on the pitch, it's incredible. I don't know...it's a team you always want to go to. It's exciting. It's an opportunity I couldn't turn down."
"I have always been aware [of Real Madrid's interest], but when my father told me that Madrid were interested? I don't know, you don't expect it. It's an extraordinary feeling."
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