Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham took his personal tally to a combined 24 goals and assists in the Champions League in Wednesday night's win over Red Bull Salzburg – the same tally as Lionel Messi at the same age.
Bellingham fumbled Rodrygo's opener in midweek, mis-checking Vinicius Junior's pass into the path of the Brazilian who fired Madrid ahead. in the middle of the first half. The pair were clearly on the same wavelength ten minutes later.
The England international made a desperate pass between two Salzburg players for Rodrygo, who scored first time into the bottom corner.
Madrid eventually won 5-1, qualification guarantee in the knockout stages and prompting Carlo Ancelotti to burst out: “The individual talent we have is incredible.”
Stop by and check out this Jude Bellingham assist 🥶#BBCFutboll #UCL pic.twitter.com/R5HwYJ6UN1
– BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 22, 2025
Bellingham's talent is bigger than most. After Wednesday's heroics, the 21-year-old boasts 13 assists in the Champions League on top of 11 goals in Europe's premier club competition. Former Barcelona icon Messi, as many Madrid-minded onlookers were quick to point out, directly contributed to the same number of Champions League goals before turning 22, scoring 17 and adding seven.
The extraordinary striker would eventually end his career in European football with 169 straight Champions League Goal contributions (129 goals and 40 assists) – a figure bettered only by Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the Portuguese striker was a slow starter on the continental stage.
By the time Ronaldo turned 22 in February 2007, he had amassed a record zero Champions League goals and just six assists per Manchester United.
neither Messi nor does Bellingham top the list of fertile oddities among the European elite. Erling Haaland amassed 26 direct contributions before turning 22, while Kylian Mbappe tops the list alone with 37.
Bellingham doesn't turn 22 until June, so the rest of the season should try to make a dent in his teammate's wild load.
|
Order |
Player |
U21 Goals and assists |
|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Kylian Mbappe |
37 |
|
2. |
Erling Haaland |
26 |
|
3= |
Lionel Messi |
24 |
|
3= |
Jude Bellingham |
24 |