Bellingham was right to turn us down, claims Man Utd legend
Suraj Radia
- 14 Oct 2023 19:24 BST
- 4 min read
Jude Bellingham was right to turn down Manchester United according to Red Devils legend Paul Scholes after seeing how the England international has started life at Real Madrid.
Bellingham joined Real from Dortmund in the summer for €103 million, reportedly turning down interest from the likes of Manchester City in the process and the 20-year-old has impressed in his first few months in Spain, netting ten goals in his opening ten games.
However, United had attempted to sign Bellingham prior to his move to Dortmund in 2020 but the midfielder opted to move to the Bundesliga from Birmingham for €30m, where he eventually established himself as one of the best young players in the world.
STATS: All the goals scored by Jude Bellingham for Real Madrid this season
Scholes was full of praise for Bellingham, stating his belief that his career so far ‘is better than anything we’ve seen’ and admitted the turmoil at United in recent seasons has proven the youngster’s decision to reject them to be correct.
Scholes told TNT Sports: “We [Manchester United] were very close to signing him, but he decided to go to Borussia Dortmund which looks the right thing from what’s happened over the past couple of years.
“It was a really brave move for him,” Scholes added. “It’s incredible but he’s got the temperament to go with it. Nothing seems to faze him. He's gone to one of the biggest clubs in the world now in Real Madrid and he's just cracking on like he's playing for Birmingham! He just stands out that much.”
Bellingham can win Ballon d’Or claims Scholes
Scholes, who himself had a meteoric rise to stardom as a youngster for United, believes that Bellingham could be in contention for the Ballon d’Or after his electric start in Madrid.
He said: “I’m sure he's thinking about the Ballon d'Or, with the way he's going at the moment. You try and look for a chink in his armour. Is he a bad lad? Can he go off the rails? He doesn't seem like it.
TOTS: Bellingham and the European team of the Season so far
“He's so intelligent and well-spoken, with a great family behind him. There's no weakness in him.
🗣️ “He attacks every challenge that’s ahead of him with great confidence. Physically, every time I see him he’s still filling out which is not a surprise at his age and of course he’s developed a thirst for scoring goals.”
Gareth Southgate on the brilliance of Jude Bellingham. pic.twitter.com/2CxLdVanIX— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 13, 2023
"He can go as far as he wants to and he's gone a long way already. He's at Real Madrid, he could go onto win La Liga and Champions League titles. That will be his ambition and he's at club where, historically, they win the big ones.
“I don't see any reason why he can't be one of the best there has been in the next 10 years.”
