For the first time this season, Jude Bellingham earned a spot in UEFA's Champions League Team of the Week.
Bellingham was Real Madrid's savior yet again when he scored the winner for his side in the 92nd minute against Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League knockout phase playoffs. The stoppage time goal secured Los Blancos' 2–3 victory over the defending English champions, giving Carlo Ancelotti's men their first ever win at the Etihad.
The 21-year-old midfielder was rewarded for his heroics by UEFA, who chose Bellingham as one of the 11 players named in its star-studded Team of the Week. Bellingham's teammate Vinícius Júnior joins him in the XI after the Brazilian bagged two assists in the match and left the Etihad with the MOTM trophy.
Introducing your Team of the Week! 🥁@cryptocom | #UCLTOTW pic.twitter.com/HHq2uJfbcT
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 13, 2025
Joining the two Real Madrid representatives are nine players from six other clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain's Vitinha, who scored the winner for the French giants against Brest. Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy, Benfica's Vangelis Pavlidis and Feyenoord's Igor Paixão also bagged winners in their club's respective matches.
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Both Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior made some history in Real Madrid's Champions League victory as well. Bellingham equaled Lionel Messi's record of six career non-penalty stoppage time winners and now just needs one more to tie Cristiano Ronaldo's seven, the most of all-time.
Vinícius Júnior, meanwhile, became the Brazilian player with the most goal contributions in the history of the Champions League knockout stage. The winger now has 11 goals and 13 assists in the competition's knockout stage, surpassing Neymar's 22 goal contributions.
The two Real Madrid superstars will hope to find similar success in the second leg of Los Blancos' Champions League knockout phase playoffs against Manchester City. Real Madrid now only need a draw at the Santiago Bernabéu to advance to the round of 16.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jude Bellingham Earns UEFA Champions League Honor for First Time This Season.
