Jude Bellingham has broken his silence on his transfer to Real Madrid after being unveiled as the club's latest signing.
The England international had been a long-standing Liverpool target, only for the Reds to withdraw from the race to sign the midfielder back in April. Such a decision left the La Liga giants free to strike a deal with Borussia Dortmund for the 19-year-old.
Signed for an initial £88m, Bellingham could become the most expensive British player in history with add-ons taking the value of the deal to a potential £115m.
And speaking at a press conference at his official unveiling, Bellingham explained why he rejected interest from other clubs in favour of joining Real Madrid.
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“It means a lot to join this club. I’m represented and the deal has mainly been done by my family members. It’s amazing, the respect the club showed my family. They didn’t try and manipulate them in any way, it was a seamless process.
“I’m so grateful to them and the club have got along. A lot of work has gone into this deal. It does mean a lot to them because it means a lot to me.
“The reason why I said it’s the proudest day of my life is because it is the greatest football club in the history of the game. Not many players get the opportunity to play at such a brilliant club, such an historic club. I feel really grateful and I’m very thankful to the people who have brought me here and given me the opportunity to play for this team.
“Money is not a thing for me. I don’t think about money at all when I make these kind of decisions. I never have, I never will. I play the game purely out of love.
“I spoke with the people when I was given permission by Borussia Dortmund and I loved the feeling I got from the club. I couldn’t hide it. I told them more or less straight away what I felt about the club and after I made my decision, I wanted it to happen quickly.
“It wasn’t a case of the other teams are bad or they weren’t good, it’s just for me, Madrid are the greatest.”
He continued: “The respect that England has for Real Madrid is so high. The pedigree in Europe is the best, simple as.
“I think it (my interest in them) came from there. As you grow up, you start to mature, watch games from previous years, and understand the achievements of what came before you.
“I took a lot of interest in that and I think that’s what makes Madrid so appealing to me. It’s a great history, but you want to be one of the players that adds to it and continues to make Madrid the greatest.
“When the guys pitched their vision of the team, I was completely involved, I was all in. It wasn’t just ‘We’re Real Madrid, we want you to join us’. That’s enough for me to be honest but the ideas they had were so exciting. It's an opportunity I couldn't turn down.”
Meanwhile, Bellingham revealed that he first became aware of interest from Real Madrid over a year ago, with their Champions League final victory over Liverpool in 2022 playing a part in his decision as a result.
And while he alluded to his England team-mates, including Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson, trying to persuade him to move to the Premier League, he couldn’t resist the lure of Real Madrid.
“I have always been aware of the interest from England so that was pretty normal,” he said. “But it was a bit of a surprise when my dad sat me down and said, ‘You’ve had a bit of interest from Real Madrid.’
“It was 12-15 months ago maybe. When he said that, goosebumps really. My heart was close to stopping. It’s something you don’t expect growing up, to play for a team like this. When it actually manifests itself, it’s such an extraordinary feeling.
“The exact moment (I made my decision) is hard to say. I had the meeting when they came to my house and I was sold, but I can’t really remember when that was. That was the moment for me when it was definite.
“I've always really admired the club, watching them win the Champions League. I was there at the final when they beat Liverpool. That was another huge factor but there were loads of things that went into making me decide to join this club because there are loads of reasons.
“Yes, of course (England team-mates spoke to him about his future) at the World Cup and the international team camps. It’s hard, all of them wanted me to come back to England and play for their teams, which I really appreciate.
“But I like the idea of this being out my comfort zone, if you like. It would maybe have been an easier option to go back to England, my native country, and live there and play in the Premier League.
“But I couldn’t turn down Real Madrid really. The club is so big. It just felt like the right move for me. It’s not because the other clubs are bad, nothing like that, it's just because Real Madrid is where I wanted to be.”
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