Jude Bellingham is currently the top scorer in La Liga with four goals in three games, and the €100m-plus fee that Real Madrid paid to his previous employers is looking like a bargain.
While fans of Borussia Dortmund wouldn’t be overly surprised by this given his propensity to drive forward from midfield in the black and yellow, the more casual fan may be taken aback as he is generally described as a midfielder.
However, his role for Los Blancos so far has seen him being used as an attacking midfielder, almost as part of a front three, not dissimilar to where Wayne Rooney used to play.
When he signed for Dortmund, he was given the No.22, and by now most people have heard the tale around why. The story goes that when he was a youngster at Birmingham City, he was equally adept at playing as a No.8, effectively covering ground across the pitch, as a No.4, skilfully anchoring the midfield and as a No.10, excelling in the role of an attacking midfielder.
However, when you look at his qualities, it becomes apparent that the notion of Bellingham seamlessly fitting into all three positions might not hold true. Every player tends to have a position that aligns slightly better with their skill set, and in Bellingham’s case, his style suggests a particular role might suit him best.
At first glance, his playing style, marked by a spirited and almost unrestrained approach, aligns more fittingly with the characteristics of a No.8. This role accommodates his penchant for relentless chasing and displays of over-exuberance, akin to an eager child on a playground.
(Photo by Liu Lu/VCG via Getty Images)
Alternatively, observing his first three games in Spain indicate that his qualities could be harnessed even more effectively in the No.10 position.
On the contrary, placing him in the No.4 role not only squanders his unique talents but could also pose a risk to the team’s overall structure. This was occasionally noticeable during his stint at Dortmund. In light of this, it makes sense that the manager of Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti has identified a specific role that he feels maximises Bellingham’s potential.
While the concept of being adept in three positions is intriguing and makes for a nice story, the reality might entail a more focused use of his abilities in this No.10 role to ensure both his growth as a player and the team’s success.
If you want a player to compare him to, look no further than Steven Gerrard. The former Liverpool captain was at his marvellous best when playing in front of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano during the 2008-09 season where Liverpool came so close to dethroning Man United.
Moreover, in the two matches for which Gerrard’s legend is most renowned – the 2005 Champions League Final and the 2006 FA Cup Final – his success was underpinned by a tactical set-up that provided a sturdy foundation. The presence of Alonso and Dietmar Hamann in the second half of the former, and the coverage offered by Alonso and Mo Sissoko in the latter allowed Gerrard to flourish in these one-off games.
Similarly, Bellingham’s potential could be maximised by sticking to a role that leverages his talents, surrounded by a complementary midfield structure behind him.
We saw a very similar situation with Bellingham in the World Cup where in the first game against Iran and the first half of the Wales game, he was trying to cover every blade of grass and cannibalising the space that Mason Mount was running into.
While he did score the opening goal against Iran, England’s midfield was open, and the side conceded two against an extremely limited Iran side grappling with political and human rights complexities in their home country.
As soon as Gareth Southgate brought on the more defensively minded Jordan Henderson, the team clicked into gear, and with the former Liverpool captain and Declan Rice behind him, Bellingham ran the midfield, and England were a Harry Kane miss away from taking the French into extra time and were unlucky not to be the side facing off against Argentina in the Final.
His Dortmund career arc exhibited similar trends.
The team enjoyed success in matches where two of Axel Witsel, Thomas Delaney, Mahmoud Dahoud, Salih Ozcan or the more defensively inclined Emre Can assumed the roles of providing cover for Bellingham’s expansive movement across the field.
Contrast this with the times where he was asked to play more as a 4, with the likes of Julian Brandt or Claudio Reyna ahead of him, the team would often give away inexplicable leads, most notably in a game against Werder Bremen last year where they led by two goals with a minute remaining but proceeded to lose 3-2.
It is no coincidence that in the second half of Dortmund’s 2022-23 season, when the side went on a title charge, they stuck to the winning formula of playing Can and Ozcan as midfield cover, with Bellingham further forward.
This campaign saw him score 14 goals, the most in his young career so far and coincided with the side coming as close to winning the Bundesliga as they had been since 2012 and with Bellingham given the Player of the Season award.
(Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Gerrard serves as a cautionary tale as he is remembered for his errors against France for England in Euro 2004, against Uruguay in 2014, and of course most notably for his slip against Chelsea in the Premier league. In all of these occasions he was playing the holding role and didn’t have a Mascherano or an Alonso next to him to cover for his forays into the opposition box.
While Bellingham never played a role that is permanently as high as he has been doing at Madrid for Dortmund, this is the natural progression for him and extremely logical for his characteristics and his ability to press and win the ball in advanced positions.
Gerrard was one of the most talented footballers in England’s history but is remembered as much for his mistakes and tactical ill-discipline as his ‘magic moments’. Bellingham, meanwhile, is lucky to being pushed into not making the same mistakes during his Madrid career.
The signs are that Bellingham is already on route to becoming the player that Gerrard could have been. Not only is he undoubtably going to amass multiple trophies at Madrid, if Southgate takes note of this tactical tweak, he may be the man to lead England to glory at Germany 2024 and the 2026 World Cup.
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